Airline tickets at $500 | Halfway to cruising speed

Travelers have not flocked to $500 tickets to fly to the four corners of Quebec since the beginning of the summer season. Nearly two months after it took effect, the Legault government’s program was halfway through what is considered the monthly average for back-and-forth sales.

Julien Arsenault
The Press

“I think in terms of impact, it’s less than we hoped,” observes aviation expert and lecturer at McGill University John Gradek. Surely the government should have expected the program to be more in demand. »

Return trips at $500 are the flagship measure of the Regional Action Support Program (PAAR), presented with great fanfare by Quebec last April. Between 1^er June and July 25 – a period of 55 days – the equivalent of 7,628 subsidized round trips were purchased, according to data provided by the Ministère des Transports (MTQ).

Annually, Quebec plans to offer 98,800 round trips. To sell them, it would be necessary to sell around 8,235 round trips per month. With an average of 4160 sales per month, the PAAR is far from having reached cruising speed.

“We are still in the early stages of the program,” says Isabelle Dostaler, dean of the faculty of business administration at Memorial University in Newfoundland. We have seen the problems at the airports. Maybe that weighs in the balance. »

It was not possible to speak to Transport Minister François Bonnardel. In a statement, his cabinet was “pleased with the reception the program is getting so far”, which is in its “first phase”.

According to stakeholders consulted by The Pressseveral elements can explain the beginnings of the PAAR.

For destinations popular with tourists, such as the Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands, many travelers had probably purchased their tickets long before the start of the program. In addition, even if subsidized airfares are offered, you still have to find accommodation on site.

“Take the Gaspésie and the Île-de-la-Madeleine, there weren’t many hotel rooms available because people had already planned their trips in January and February,” says Mr. Gradek. It is not only the plane, but also a question of tourist infrastructure. »

From 2019 to 2021, the occupancy rate of accommodation establishments (hotels, motels and other registered residences) averaged 83% on the Gaspésie side, according to Tourisme Gaspésie. Places were already limited before the announcement of the PAAR. The capacity for more tourists is therefore limited.

Move on site

If traveling outside major centers by air, finding a rental car can be a headache. Supply is limited and prices have jumped due to inflation having taken over the vehicle rental niche.

“Surface transport is a problem, underlines Mr.^me Dostaler. If we have a program like that (PAAR), we have to make sure that the tourism infrastructure goes with it. »

Tourisme Gaspésie is well aware of the situation.

“We see significant challenges once at the destination, whether through the precariousness of the car rental fleet, the taxi industry or public transit,” underlines the director general of Tourisme Gaspésie, Joëlle Ross.

Air carriers had welcomed the plan of the Legault government. After two years of pandemic disruption, it’s still difficult to quantify the impact of $500 tickets on ridership, according to PAL Airlines director of business development Tommy Desfossés.

In his opinion, we will see if the program bears fruit when the summer season is behind us.

“Perhaps the tourist peak will be lengthened,” he said. But for that to happen, services must continue to be offered, he says. For example, will restaurants continue to offer the same service? There is a labor shortage in the sector. There are several things to consider. »

Mayor of Gaspé and president of the Union of Quebec Municipalities, Daniel Côté believes that $500 tickets have attracted travelers since the beginning of the summer, even if the return to the pre-pandemic situation is not for tomorrow.

The politician, who welcomed the plan of Quebec, however, believes that we can do better in terms of promotion.

“We talked about it a lot on the news, but not so much afterwards,” underlines Mr. Côté. I get asked a lot of questions like “am I eligible?”. This is a sign that he lacks promotion. »