(The Halifax Daily News posted the following story by Stephen Bornais on its website on May 15.)
HALIFAX, N.S. — After spending the last three years selling seats on its tourist train to Cape Breton Island, Via Rail Canada now understands who buys them.
Of the 2,500 people who took the Bras d Or land cruise last year, market research showed that 42 per cent were older Americans looking for something more from their vacations, said Marc Deschenes, a senior marketing official with Via.
Those who buy a Bras d’Or ticket want to know more about Nova Scotia … about the tartan, the food, about the people, he said.
Another 19 per cent of the passengers came from overseas, especially the United Kingdom. The remainder were from Canada, mostly Ontario.
The Bras d Or is one of Via s three services in eastern Canada that included the venerable Ocean train, which runs between Montreal and Halifax year-round, and the seasonal Chaleur, connecting Montreal to the Gaspe.
Now in its fourth year, the Bras d Or operates one round-trip per week between Halifax and Sydney from June to mid-October, offering tourists a 10-hour journey through Cape Breton Island.
Ridership up 14 per cent
This season s inaugural run from Halifax is scheduled for 3 June.
The trip features on-board tour guides, live, Celtic-focused entertainment and local cuisine. This year will include more emphasis on Nova Scotia s Acadian roots.
The Bras d Or, established in partnership with the tourism boards of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, saw ridership in 2002 jumped 14 per cent over 2001.
That represented about 186 people per train, close to the 200 person-capacity.
Getting the same numbers this year could be a challenge Deschenes said, given the general slowdown in tourism expected this year.
It s going to be a rough year because of SARS, the war and so on, he said.
Block bookings are running about the same as last year, Deschenes said, but it remains to be seen whether those turn into real reservations.
More importantly from Via s point of view, however, the train is now making money. Revenues were 48 per cent above costs last year, a marked turnaround from the previous two money-losing years.
It was the first year we turned a profit, he said.
Deschenes said Via sees the Bras d Or as a growth opportunity. There already have been discussions with the train s partners to increase the frequency of runs.
I tell people that in Cape Breton, we may not be mining for coal, but we re certainly mining for tourists, he said.
New fleet in late summer
Travellers on the Ocean will see something new in late summer when Via begins to introduce its Renaissance cars on the line.
The new fleet features sleeping cars, private bedrooms and en-suite amenities such as showers and phones.
Deschenes said Via crews in Atlantic Canada are already being trained on the new cars.
Some of the cars are now operating in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, but Deschenes said Via wants to ensure all the potential bugs have been worked out before their introduction to the more challenging Ocean route.