HALIFAX — Nova Scotia is moving to capitalize on its moment in the spotlight provided by the leather-lunged billionaire now enjoying a yuuuge lead in the U.S. Republican primary race.
Tourism Nova Scotia is redirecting some of its advertising budget toward Google ads targeting people intrigued by the now-famous Cape Breton If Donald Trump Wins website.
"Although it's been a fun story, we're also trying to take advantage and monetize it," Martha Stevens, acting CEO of Tourism Nova Scotia, said in an interview.
"It's been a wonderful gift that keeps on giving."
The website, created by Cape Breton radio host Rob Calabrese, facetiously tempts Americans dismayed by the prospect of a President Donald Trump to relocate to the hard-pressed but beautiful island. The site has attracted about 800,000 unique visitors since Feb. 15 — most of them from the United States.
Calabrese's site, cbiftrumpwins.com, is mostly focused on immigrants, not tourists. But it now links to a specialized version of Cape Breton's tourism site that asks, "If moving here is an option, why not visit us this tourism season to experience our way of life?"
Tourism Nova Scotia said Thursday that traffic to novascotia.com, the province's main tourism site, was up 44 per cent in mid-February, while its Cape Breton page had a 975 per cent increase in site entrances.
Stevens said a portion of the $5 million her Crown corporation spends on advertising will be re-directed toward Google ads targeting people who've shown an interest.
The Google ads will not mention Trump, she said. They will target people in Ontario, Quebec and northern New England, Nova Scotia's key tourism markets.
"What we will focus on is what we know to be our unique experiences. We're all about Nova Scotia and Cape Breton," said Stevens.
"It allows us to be a bit more efficient to target those consumers who have already shown some interest."
