Tourism is a huge deal in Bathurst, is at least it should be. While he have had successful business in the past, with things like the Smurfit-Stone paper mill or the mines/smelter, our biggest draw is no doubt what we have to offer outsiders. With New Brunswick's (or at the very least Bathurst's) economy dwindling, we rely heavily on tourism and the tourism industry to help keep us afloat. There can, however, be huge drawbacks to tourism, such as pollution, litter, vandalism, etc.
One of Bathurst's most famous landmarks is the Daly Point Nature Reserve. It boasts an impressive 100 acres of pristine salt marsh and wooded plots. Home to rare specimens such as the Maritime Ringlet Butterfly, the beautiful Reserve has long been a point of pride for the city and its people. This is not always a good thing, as naturally the reserve draws people to it from near and far. With increased traffic in the trails, you can be sure of two things: an increase in litter/pollution, and a decrease in local wildlife sightings. Although the point is home to a plethora of wild animals and insects, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that more people in the trails means more litter, and less animals. While there are fines for littering in the trails, the police have much more important matters on their hands and so unfortunately littering will continue to be a problem.
Another big problem we have in New Brunswick when it comes to our tourism industry is the general divide we have in our cultures. As the only officially bilingual province in Canada, we celebrate the heritages of both the Acadiens and the English Loyalists, along with the much smaller but hugely more historic First Nations. who have been here much longer than ourselves. As such, a lot of our biggest celebrations (especially in the summer) focus on just one of these. Holidays such as 15 Août do not draw a large English crowd because they are celebrations of Acadien culture.
