Highlighting the many reasons to explore Pictou County

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NEW GLASGOW – As the calendar pages flip through the spring, tourism marketing organizations like Coastal Nova Scotia are making sure they are well prepared to help operators and communities, as well as visitors, maximize the upcoming season to full benefit and enjoyment.

Managing director Cindy MacKinnon was making the rounds to various municipal councils last month which included a presentation to New Glasgow Town Council on March 17.

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“We have 12 municipal units, four counties, and just over 460 communities — we’re representing all of those,” MacKinnon said, after explaining that some may be more familiar with the name the organization used more often in the past: Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores or ‘DEANS’ for short.

“We have eight visitor centres within our region. That includes from Cole Habour in the HRM right up to the Canso Causeway along the Eastern Shore, and then (along the Northumberland Shore) from the Canso Causeway to River John in Pictou County,” she said.

MacKinnon noted for her New Glasgow audience the visitor centres in their vicinity included the rest stop in Westville which is part of a service station, Tim Horton’s, and Dairy Queen, off Hwy. 104, as well as at the Pictou County Wellness Centre (PCWC).

“And last year, we also had a desk at the municipal office in the county as well, and we plan to do that again this year,” MacKinnon added, referring to the county’s office building in Pictou.

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She talked more about the visitor desk in the PCWC, which has been particularly busy these last few weekends while hosting two provincial hockey championships (High School Boys Division One and Major U15) and an Atlantic championship (Female Major U18).

“The desk at the Wellness Centre serves a few different services,” MacKinnon said. “It’s a visitor centre so we’re talking to visitors, but also, when the Wellness Centre hosts large events, and they have many this year, we are there as an on-site travel counselor. People sometimes have questions such as, ‘Where can I get my son’s or daughter’s skates sharpened?’ ‘Where can we go eat?’ ‘I need to go pick up something. Can you help me with the location?’”

Those questions are often answered these days by summer student Marlie Chisholm, who is from Scotsburn. A recent graduate of Northumberland Regional High School, Chisholm is planning on going back to school next fall at the Nova Scotia Community College.

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“The fact I get to teach people a little bit about where I’m from and what makes it special,” Chisholm answered when asked about what she enjoys about the job.

“I love meeting different people from all over … it’s a great summer job.”

Chisholm describes herself as an outdoorsy, nature-loving type of person, adding that helps in her work with Coastal Nova Scotia as she talks about her home county.

“I can tell people it’s beautiful and there are a multitude of places to go and explore,” she said of combining her personal likes with the promotional part of her job. “And that the people you will meet are always so welcoming and friendly.”

Chisholm said a goal for her this tourist season is to visit beaches in the area and beyond that she hasn’t explored yet.

“I think that can and will be accomplished,” she said with a wide smile.

REACHING THEIR AUDIENCE

MacKinnon talked to the council about the ways they reach people who can’t drop into a visitor centre to chat with someone like Chisholm and grab a guidebook or who want the most up-to-date listings.

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“We put out a digital letter that is very popular,” she said. “Hotels are using it; they print it off and have it around their front counter so when visitors are in town and asking what there is to do, it’s a solid list of activities they can just point to.

“Just before Christmas last year we put out a list of some of the holiday markets and craft fairs, and it was a crazy number of visits generated from it. I ran into someone at one of the craft shows, a lady from Antigonish, who had printed it off and she and her friend were visiting all of the shows on it they could that day. We know it’s being well used, which is great.”

MacKinnon said that is just one example of how they are able to use their website and social media to reach people.

“There are a lot of opportunities on our website and we’re looking to further encourage the operators and attractions to go over their listings and make sure things are right, that they’re up-to-date, and include new pictures as well.”

MacKinnon said they also do what they can to attract events to the region and recently were looking to bring Nova Scotia Music Week activities to New Glasgow, as well as a softball national which they lost out to Fredericton.

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“But now they know we want to; it has been a while since we hosted a softball national here,” she said, using the two as examples of hosting potential.

“Conferences are another piece. They’re going on all the time, so that is something else we want to get into a little more. There is no reason why they can’t be coming to Pictou County.”

Coastal Nova Scotia has an office in the Ignite building on East River Road in the heart of New Glasgow. It’s a location they share with organizations such as the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce and the building owners.

“It’s great networking space,” MacKinnon said, adding their operation is pretty “lean.”

“There are two of us who are full-time, there is a contracted position, and then we have summer\seasonal staff,” she said. “And we tend to have a backward approach to things in terms of budgeting. We don’t see what we have in money and then think we can do this or that. We figure out what we want to do, what can help our area, and find the money to do it. We do things a little differently than some, but we have been successful so far.”

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