Marketing efforts launched earlier than ever, longer 2024 season planned for CAT ferry service

YARMOUTH, N.S. — The CAT ferry will make more ferry crossings during its 2024 season with marketing efforts already well underway to entice people coming to and from Nova Scotia this spring, summer and fall to purchase tickets ahead of the May season start.

“Bay Ferries launched The CAT 2024 ticket sales on 2023 Black Friday weekend – earlier than ever before,” said Jessica Gillis, director of Marketing and Customer Experience for Bay Ferries.

“Marketing efforts started then and will increase as the operating season approaches as they usually do with digital and traditional media efforts.”

The CAT sails between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, N.S. The province of Nova Scotia contracts Bay Ferries to operate the international ferry service.

The 2024 season will begin on May 17 – ahead of the Victoria Day May long weekend, whereas last year’s season started May 25.

This year’s season runs to Oct. 15. Last year it ended on Oct. 9.

The ferry has also extended its daily round-trip crossings. The ferry will sail daily from June 20 to Sept. 16 in 2024, compared to June 29 to Sept. 4 in 2023.

On both ends of that schedule the ferry will operate five days a week.

Asked about its most important markets, Gillis said they are targeting the northeastern United States – primarily Massachusetts, Maine, New York and New Hampshire – along with Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.

Still, the ferry attracts passengers coming from throughout the United States, based on the licence plates seen disembarking from it.

Marketing efforts

Like previous sailing seasons, Bay Ferries is offering special fares and discount specials to get the ball rolling.

“Our special offers help both in engaging prospective travelers to consider The CAT, as well as encouraging them to finalize and book their summer travel plans,” Gillis said.

There is an early booking sale whereby people purchasing tickets between Jan. 17 and March 17 can save 25 per cent on fares for passengers and vehicles. The corresponding travel time is June 20 to Sept. 16.

There is a ‘One, Two, FREE’ promotion where you pay for tickets for two passengers and can get free passage in your travel party for up to three additional passengers. The two paying passengers must be the highest fares in the booking.

Children six and under travel free all season.

The ‘One, Two, FREE’ offer is also combinable with the Nova Scotia Resident Discount. That is a discount Bay Ferries offers every sailing season to residents of Nova Scotia, whereby they can save 50 per cent on passenger fares all season long for one-way or return travel.

“The Nova Scotia Resident Discount is our way of saying thank you to Nova Scotians who ultimately help support this vital transportation link between Nova Scotia and Maine and we hope they can experience The CAT,” Gillis said.

In 2023, the ferry transported 38,399 passengers to and from Nova Scotia.

This was an increase of 2,248 passengers over the 2022 season, which had been the ferry’s first year of operation following a three-year hiatus due to COVID in 2021 and 2020 and construction of the Bar Harbor terminal in 2019.

But last year also came with challenges.

The 2023 season was significantly impacted by extreme weather-related events in Nova Scotia, including a series of wildfires early in the season followed by record rainfall and flooding during the summer. Post-tropical storms Lee and Phillipe led to canceled crossings in the fall.

“Weather has a major influence on discretionary travel. The estimated impact of the significant weather events and wildfires was a loss in the order of 5,000 passengers,” Bay Ferries said.

Ferry impacts

Neil MacKenzie, the CEO of Yarmouth and Acadian Shore Tourism Association (YASTA), spoke about The CAT’s impact during a rural tourism panel hosted by IGNITE in Yarmouth last fall.

MacKenzie noted marketing is expensive and tourism associations like YASTA don’t have endless funds. This is where the importance of consistency comes into play with the ferry service.

“We’re trying to build awareness of Yarmouth and Acadian Shores in Nova Scotia and northeast U.S. What you need is consistency. The ferry consistency is key with that,” he said, instead of there always being a question mark hanging over the service regarding whether the government will keep or scrap the service.

MacKenzie said consistency equates to building better awareness of the service. It also helps tourism operators make plans.

“When it’s consistent and long term and something that we can depend on, you can build more partnerships and relationships and marketing around that,” he said.

Last year the service was still recovering from years of interruption that COVID caused. In 2023, U.S. citizens represented approximately 76 per cent of all passengers on the ferry. Before the pandemic, it was in the 80-85 per cent range.

Study underway

The province is undertaking a broad economic study of the service that will take into account data from the 2023 and 2024 seasons to evaluate the economic return of the service. Last September the government awarded an $180,000 contract to the consulting firm 21FSP to carry out the study.

“This level of detail has never been gathered before. It will help us determine if the service is providing good value to Nova Scotian taxpayers,” said Public Works Minister Kim Masland. A final report is expected in the fall of 2024.

The province’s 10-year ferry contract with Bay Ferries is set to expire in March 2026.

Looking at the YASTA region, MacKenzie didn’t have the latest 2023 stats, but he said in past years, like 2017, the ferry’s contribution was part of an overall tourism industry scenario that, combined, brought in around $71 million in tourism dollars spent within the region. “Things have certainly changed since then.”

Still, when the ferry isn’t running, its absence is felt.

“Without that international ferry service in place, the spend is around $31 million. So significant amounts of funds are spent.”

MacKenzie noted a past exit survey with travelers showed visitors to the province via the ferry spent more in general than other visitors. On average, it tended to be around $2,500 per the average ferry party.

“The American visitors are spending more. They’re staying longer. Their parties are larger so there’s more of them. And they’re more likely to be first-time visitors, which is great because that means they’re spending more time traveling around the province.”

MacKenzie noted tourism is “an amazing economic boost and economic generator” for the province.

“Even before I got into tourism I didn’t realize the impact that tourism has from an economic perspective. It’s only growing.”

Ongoing marketing

Bay Ferries will keep getting the word out about Nova Scotia through its marketing – although it cannot solely be held responsible for getting people to come to Nova Scotia. A big part of tourism marketing falls to the province itself.

The ferry operator is participating in a series of consumer and travel trade events during the off-season. In partnership with YASTA, it was taking part in the Jan. 26-28 New York Travel & Adventures Show. There are also motorcoach shows, including the American Bus Association and other travel trade opportunities such as Discover New England it will take part in.

“All of this with the ultimate goal of continuing to grow the ridership and bring high-value tourists to Nova Scotia,” Gillis said, noting getting out into the public makes an impact.

“It is very beneficial to speak face-to-face with potential travelers. They have questions about The CAT itself – i.e. speed, size of the vessel, the experience, what’s on board, etc. – driving distances from their point of origin and within Nova Scotia, what to see and do in Nova Scotia, as well as how many days they should plan to spend in Nova Scotia,” said Gillis. “The direct conversation allows us to answer questions directly and provide recommendations and literature, much like a concierge travel service.”