'Cape Breton If Trump Wins' gets help from tourism agency
Flood of serious inquiries from Americans visiting tongue-in-cheek website
Destination Cape Breton is pitching in to help the 'Cape Breton If Trump Wins' website after it was inundated with inquiries after its launch on Monday.
The tongue-in-cheek website urges disenchanted Americans to move to Cape Breton even before the U.S. election in November, avoiding the prospect of living in a country where Donald Trump might be president.
The website was created a few days ago by Sydney radio station announcer Rob Calabrese.
It promotes the values of diversity and tolerance, Canada's public health-care system, the social safety net, along with Cape Breton's scenery, friendliness and affordable housing.
The site has already drawn more than 30,000 visitors. Some people have sent Calabrese serious inquiries. A third of readers also clicked the link to the island's official marketing website, hosted by Destination Cape Breton.
Destination Cape Breton chief executive Mary Tulle saw the interest building and called Calabrese Tuesday.
Fielding questions
"We indicated we were on standby to help, and within 24 hours that has come to fruition," she said. "So we will be able to track a little more significantly what this impact actually is."
In fact, by Wednesday morning, the agency's own website had 12,000 hits from the United States, compared with just over 1,000 this time last year.
Destination Cape Breton will help field questions about what the island has to offer. Inquiries about immigration — and there have been a few — will be redirected to others better suited to answer.
Tulle calls the phenomenon "wonderful."
"I just smile at the good news of Cape Breton," she said. "Thanks to Rob Calabrese and his ingenuity and his passions."
Hear a full interview with Rob Calabrese