With 18,000 participants at the COP15 on biodiversity, Montreal is hosting its largest conference in 12 years.
“It’s a gift from Santa Claus,” says Manuela Goya, Vice-President, Destination Development and Public Affairs, at Tourisme Montréal. We are happy because it means that Montreal attracts people as a peaceful and inclusive city. We are very proud of it. »
Such an influx, which we have not seen since the world congress of the Rotary club in 2010, constitutes a balm for downtown Montreal and its hoteliers who have suffered since the start of the pandemic, in February 2020.
There are 135 hotels on the island of Montreal for a total of 25,000 rooms, including 16,000 downtown.
“The year 2022 started badly, but it will end on a very good note”, indicates Mme Goya.
Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault inflated expectations on Sunday by citing the figure of 17,000 attendees during his appearance on the show. Everybody talks about it. On Tuesday, the organizers announced 18,000 accredited people.
At Tourisme Montréal, we are currently working on the basis of 3,000 participants in the week of the 1er to December 6 and 11,000 delegates from December 7 to 19.
The organization estimates that approximately 70% of participants come from outside Quebec. On a base of 14,000 visitors, the tourist impact amounts to 85 million, according to Mme Goya. In this calculation, we anticipate at least 30,000 overnight stays in Montreal hotels.
“While waiting for the last reservations, the hotels are filling up,” confirms Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, CEO of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal. For the first week, there are a lot of police in the downtown hotels. »
That the event occurs at the beginning of December is fantastic. The first weeks of December are not the most popular. Usually, we see banqueting activities, but few overnight stays. With COP15, the rooms are full while allowing establishments to hold the planned Christmas parties. It’s a nice combination.
Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, CEO of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal
Remember that the UN conference was to take place in China, but the Chinese borders are still closed to foreign visitors. “Four months ago, none of that was on the program,” recalls Mr. Boudreault.
In fact, it was only last August that Montreal was chosen as the host city, says the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), which highlights the work of federal minister Mélanie Joly and prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“The federal government was quick and skilful. The Montreal environment was agile and there was an alignment between the theme of the conference and the signature of the city which hosts the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity”, says Michel Leblanc, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CCMM.
This emphasizes the international nature of the event. “Anything that can contribute to ensuring that Montreal is perceived as a major international city is positive,” adds Mr. Leblanc. When the time comes to attract talent and investment, it matters that people from outside think that Montreal is a city where things happen. »
Manuela Goya, from Tourisme Montréal, dreams of an agreement at the end of the event. “If we can ever reach an agreement that we will call the Montreal biodiversity agreement, the name of Montreal will be attached to a good agreement for the planet. It’s a boost for our city. »