When 21st-century cruise ships are docked in the shadow of the community’s famed 18th-century fortress, it usually means good things for the people in Louisbourg, N.S. “You tend to get a few people stopping in and it does tend to make the town a little bit busier,” said Darlene Chisholm, co-owner of the Spoondrift Café & Restaurant along Louisbourg’s main drag. In recent years, the streets have often been empty in what was once one of Nova Scotia’s busiest tourist towns. Later this summer, nine cruise ships are scheduled to visit Louisbourg. “It’s always great for any effort – if the town is even thought of – but we look at other years when it was always so much busier,” she said. Dalhousie University professor of Commerce and International Business Lorn Sheehan said going to smaller ports of call like Louisbourg – especially those that have an iconic visitor experience like the famous Fortress – is something he sees as a unique draw for cruise lines and their customers. “I think that’s a great diversification of the tourism product,” Sheehan said. He added that it is up to the community to capitalize on all those visitors. “So there would be other things for people to spend their money on, especially when those businesses that could be part of that would be locally-owned and bring benefits to local people in the area,” Sheehan said. The nine cruise ships scheduled for Louisbourg are set to arrive between August 26 and Oct. 15, which is typically peak season for most Maritime ports of call. As they get ready to open for the season on Sunday, Chisholm said she looks forward to some traffic from cruise ships that visit nearby Sydney. However, previous experience has taught her that visits are often at the mercy of the weather. “If the wind is up and the cruise ships don’t even get in…so what may start out as nine may end up as three coming into town or four,” Chisholm said. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
