Buy a boat. tour the province

The Nova Scotia boatbuilding community, perhaps taking its cue from Volvo, which offers car buyers a promotional touring package when they buy a Volvo directly from the factory in Sweden, is offering a similar arrangement. People who purchase a boat built in one of the 40 yards in Nova Scotia can expect royal treatment from the Tourism Industry Association there.

The Tourism Industry Association has partnered with the 41 member yards in the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association (NSBA), based in Halifax, to offer tourism guidance, including maps, border crossing information, reservations and liaison work, between boatyards and prospective boat owners. The NSBA hopes this program and its recent trade-certification partnership with the New Zealand boatbuilding industry will lure buyers to the province. Last year Nova Scotia became the first region in North America to recognize boatbuilding as a certified trade. There are now 28 apprentices working toward certificates. For more information: www.tians.org and www.nsboats.com.

By Ocean Navigator