(Mont-Joli) One of Quebec’s most popular regions for summer tourists, the Gaspé, welcomed more than 500,000 visitors between June and September inclusive, according to data compiled and published by Tourisme Gaspésie.
The organization, which brings together 700 businesses and organizations working in the tourism industry, observed that ridership had been steadily increasing in the region since 2015, before the COVID-19 crisis slowed down growth in 2020, even if the months of July and August of last year have exceeded expectations.
The 2021 season ends with a slightly better performance than that of 2019. Indeed, the combined occupancy rate for June to September was 72.5%, 3.6% higher than in 2019. In addition, gains were observed in terms of the lengthening of the season with an increase in occupancy rates of 4.5% in June and July as well as of 5% in September.
Tourisme Gaspésie reports that a survey of tourism businesses in the region shows an increase, sometimes sharp, in traffic and turnover among the majority of respondents. Among the companies surveyed, 93% rated the season as good or excellent.
Joëlle Ross, General Manager of Tourisme Gaspésie, explains that many companies are investing in the development and renewal of their offer, despite the context of uncertainty and challenges, including that of the labor shortage. In his opinion, the dynamism of the tourist community represents a major asset for the Gaspé destination and could encourage Quebeckers to come back to visit the region.
Tourisme Gaspésie is currently carrying out winter promotion for the region and the preparation of the next promotional campaign for the spring-summer 2022 season will take place in the coming months.
It is likely that the reopening of the land border of the United States will encourage many Quebecers to return on vacation to the United States next year, but the Gaspé will hope for compensation with an increase in the number of visitors from the United States. , other Canadian provinces and even Europe.