Smith says attracting superyachts is a small part of a broader strategy aimed at getting more boaters to come to the region. And he challenged the argument that superyacht owners represent the worst kind of polluters.

“I don’t agree with that,” said Smith, whose non-profit organization gets most of its budget from a levy charged to those who pay for accommodations in Cape Breton, as well the provincial and federal governments. “There are electric superyachts now. I think we’re going to see a transformation in them in terms of cleaner fuels and cleaner ways of operating.”

But where does power generation come from in Nova Scotia?