The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Harbour Hopper not returning to Sydney for second straight year
SYDNEY — The Harbour Hopper has decided to hop over Sydney Harbour for the 2020 season.
Ambassatours Gray Line, the company that operates the Harbour Hoppers, confirmed the large blue, green and yellow amphibious vehicle tour won't return to Cape Breton this year due to the COVID19 pandemic and the cancellation of the cruise ship season.
“Mostly, what we do in Cape Breton is cruise related,” said Terri Mcculloch, spokesperson for the company.
“We certainly felt welcomed in Cape Breton.”
This marks the second straight year the Harbour Hopper won't be seen in downtown Sydney. Despite a busy autumn cruise ship season last year, the company decided not to offer the service.
In an interview with the Cape Breton Post in October, Dennis Campbell, president and chief executive officer of the Halifax-based company, said the operation of the Harbour Hopper was a “trial to try to give us a feel if it would work in the short or long term,” noting the company “may have been a bit premature in the market place.”
Although it may seem like the Harbour Hopper's time in Cape Breton is over, Mcculloch didn't rule out the possibility of a return to Sydney next year.
“I mean, we don't know how long it's going to be before tourism fully recovers (from COVID-19) so I wouldn't be able to say when,” said Mcculloch.
“It's a changing landscape as far as tourism goes, so we'll take a look towards 2021 and we'll be looking at the whole picture in terms of what we're expecting with cruise passengers.”
Harbour Hoppers are popular with tourists and locals in Halifax. The amphibious adventure showcases the city by land and water, taking people to places of interest such as Citadel Hill National Historic Site, the Victorian Public Gardens and St. Paul's Church. The tour continues through the downtown core of Halifax before making a slash into Halifax Harbour. The cruise continues in the water, passing George's Island lighthouse, the Halifax waterfront boardwalk and Historic Properties, as well as the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
The tour is fully narrated with topics such as the Halifax Explosion and the history of the naval dockyards in Halifax.
Amphibious tours will be offered in Halifax this summer. The company began the season on Wednesday and it is expected to run through the Labour Day weekend.
“We have a bit more public who go on the Harbour Hopper because it's a larger market,” said Mcculloch of the decision to operate in
Halifax. “We've reduced the number of Harbour Hopper departures and shortened the season as well because of the cruise industry.”
In total, 18 seasonal employees for various positions are affected by the Harbour Hopper's absence in Sydney.
Mcculloch said 200 seasonal employment positions had been affected companywide in the Maritimes because of cruise ship cancellations.