My Celtic heart is beating with pride today as Destination Canada, an organization whose goal it is to increase awareness of Canada in the Nordic Countries, recently released its list of the top 10 attraction sites in Canada. Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail was ranked fourth on the list and cited these reasons for the ranking:

Cape Breton has been rated one of the best Island destinations in the world and this is in no small part to the Cabot Trail that offers breathtaking vistas of Cape Breton’s rugged coastline, where pods of whales and bald eagles are a common sight. Cape Bretoners are unusually hospitable and welcome you with their “100,000 welcomes”, or “Ciad Mile Failte” as they say in Gaelic. Cape Breton’s most famous resident, Alexander Graham Bell, once said, “I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.”

I’m so glad that Destination Canada mentioned both the beauty of the land and the caring nature of our people. The combination of these two attributes is what makes our Island unique in Canada and the world. And as the ice and snow around us is melting, Spring is in the air and our seasonal tourism operators are preparing to welcome visitors from around the world for another tourism season.

If you are visiting our award-winning Island this year, why not get in touch so we can help you find your Celtic heart in Cape Breton. It could be found at a lunchtime ceilidh at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre or at a milling frolic or a weaving demonstration at the Gaelic College. But maybe, just maybe your Celtic Heart will beat strongest while you go back in time and research your Celtic roots at the Highland Village.

Cuin' a thig sibh air chéilidh? [So when are you coming?]