Tourists are expected in large numbers on Monday in Montreal, where the weather forecast promises to be ideal for observing the solar eclipse. In Estrie, accommodation is at maximum capacity.
According to Tourisme Montréal, the hotel occupancy rate should oscillate between 70% and 75% on Monday, the day when the Moon will completely hide the Sun for a few moments.
In this season, the occupancy rate is normally around 55%.
Most of these are last minute reservations. “A week ago, we did not yet see an increase,” indicates Aurélie de Blois, spokesperson for Tourisme Montréal.
Many had to wait until they had a better picture of the weather to come before planning their trips, she explains.
As the big day approaches, the weather forecasts become clearer. And Quebec should be one of the best places to see the show.
American tourists could even travel to Montreal for the occasion, predicts Aurélie de Blois. For now, the weather is forecast to be mostly overcast in the United States. Rain is even expected in Texas, a destination of choice for amateur astronomers.
“We expect people to continue to book their hotels for Sunday and Monday,” she adds.
Hoteliers will not be the only ones to benefit from the passage of the eclipse. Merchants and restaurateurs should also benefit from the presence of thousands of people in the streets of the metropolis.
At Jean-Drapeau Park alone, around 150,000 people are expected on Monday. And the Montreal Science Center plans to welcome 20,000 more.
“We should have a balance sheet [des retombées économiques] in the weeks to come,” believes Aurélie de Blois.
Popularity in Estrie
Accommodations are at maximum capacity, indicates Shanny Hallé, press relations coordinator for Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est.
In Sutton, the hotels are all full. Same thing in Bromont, where there are still “a few chalets and condos here and there” for rent. In Coaticook, foreign visitors are expected during the eclipse.
Observation sites that operate with a ticket office have, to our knowledge, sold out and are fully booked.
Shanny Hallé, press relations coordinator for Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est
In total, 60,000 to 80,000 people can be accommodated at the 57 observation sites designated and listed by Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est.
This is not an estimate of traffic, but of the reception capacity of these sites, specifies Mme Hallé.
“In terms of ridership estimates, it’s very difficult to say. In addition to the capacity of the sites, there are people who will travel and who will not go to the designated sites, the number of which cannot be predicted at the moment, she explains. We know that eclipses cause the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people per state in our southern neighbors. »