Closure of the Oak Island Tourism Society

For the past eight years, the Oak Island Tourism Society has been pursuing its mandate of "tours of Oak Island and a world class interpretive center" and "reinvigorating the interest in Oak Island". The most popular element of their work has been working with the Island landowners to provide annual tours of the island during one weekend over the summer which has become known as Explore Oak Island Days.

Last week the Oak Island Tourism Society announced that they had taken the decision to close down. The reasons given for this were as follows:

* Lack of clear direction from majority land owners and treasure hunters Oak Island Tours Inc. on whether or not we stand any reasonable chance at fulfilling our full mandate.
* We are unable to secure a fixed date for Explore Oak Island Days each year at a facility we feel fits the character, progress and development of the event which has grown each year.

This is indeed a shame, as many of the members of this group will have attended the annual event, which has provided a great opportunity for us to learn more about Oak Island, and meet other enthusiasts from all over the world.

Did you attend Explore Oak Island Days? What memories do you have of the event?

At this stage, it's unclear what the future of the Society may be, or if this poses the opportunity for the emergence of a new group. We must remember that the landowners are by no means obliged to grant access to their property for tours, but in terms of Nova Scotian tourism, how important do you feel access to Oak Island is?