The spring break has barely ended when the Quebec tourism industry is already planning its summer at “100% capacity”. This year, the objective will be both to convince people here to continue to take their holidays at home while attracting foreign tourists after two years of absence.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
The invasion of Ukraine and the exchange rate could, however, influence the choice of destination of Quebecers and foreign tourists, according to several industry players.
While the Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, announced on Monday financial assistance, in the form of loans, of more than 31 million to 20 hotel companies to enable them to improve their infrastructures, the organization Évènements Attractions Québec is busy preparing labor recruitment days, which will take place on March 25 and 26, in anticipation of the summer season. Interested candidates are therefore invited to visit the Évènements Attractions Québec website to learn about the needs of the industry. For the various companies, the multiple open houses and interviews aim to fill nearly 10,000 positions.
“The return of international cruises, the opening of international borders, the opening to Ontario, [la mise en place] direct flights with Quebec: many of the steps we have taken upstream are now setting the table for the return of [vacanciers] Quebecers and also international tourists,” said Minister Proulx over the phone, while she was in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean to announce the financial assistance provided to the hotel sector.
But after two years criss-crossing the province, aren’t Quebecers likely to pack their bags in order to fly off to other destinations? “I do not have the data on the intentions of Quebecers, admits Mme Proulx. We are working on that. »
During the pandemic, many Quebecers made investments: snowmobiles, chalets, sports equipment, personal watercraft, trailers. There are many Quebecers who will decide to discover Quebec and make the purchases they have made over the past two years profitable.
Caroline Proulx, Minister of Tourism
In 2021, thanks to the influx of visitors from here, the summer was particularly busy for many hoteliers in Quebec. So much so that establishments in certain regions such as the Magdalen Islands, Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Côte-Nord recorded higher occupancy rates during the summer season than in 2019 , 2018 and 2017, i.e. before the pandemic, when the borders were all wide open to foreign visitors. The regions of Quebec and Montreal, popular destinations for international tourists, however, did not experience the same fate as the others. It remains to be seen how many Quebecers will decide to stay here for the coming summer.
“If, in the vacation cycle, a Quebecer who visited Quebec once every four years now does so every three years, we will have gained this effervescence,” adds François-G. Chevrier, general manager of Évènements Attractions Québec, whose organization represents more than 250 festivals and 200 tourist attractions.
“For Quebecers who want to set sail and leave the country, we have this challenge of telling them that if they have fallen in love with certain corners of the province, we hope that they will keep this curiosity” , he continues.
“Over the past two years, several regions outside Montreal and Quebec have benefited from the contribution of the domestic market. And there, everything will reside in the confidence of travelers, both abroad and here,” believes Martin Soucy, President and CEO of the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec.
Mr. Soucy recalls that, before the pandemic, Quebecers spent 8 billion dollars for their vacations outside, while tourists outside Quebec generated revenue here of 4 billion.
The latter hopes to see a large number of visitors from Ontario, the United States and France, in particular, which represent the main markets outside Quebec, return. According to data provided by the Ministry of Tourism, tourism receipts were 16.4 billion in 2019, compared to 7 billion in 2021. From December 2018 to November 2019, 3,382,146 international tourists entered the country via Quebec, compared to 765,281 between December 2019 and November 2020 and 474,738 between December 2020 and November 2021.
Uncertainties
Moreover, the current situation in Ukraine could dampen the enthusiasm of vacationers from here and elsewhere. “The war in Ukraine can sometimes have an impact on whether or not you want to leave Quebec,” says Martin Soucy. It can help us in the internal market. Normally, when there are conflicts around the world, it reduces the intensity of wanting to travel outside a little. »
An article published in The Press March 11, however, stated that the rise in fuel prices and the war in Ukraine had had no effect – or very little – for the moment on the price of plane tickets and on the enthusiasm of Quebec travelers wishing to go to sunny destinations or to Europe. The situation could change rapidly, according to the experts consulted by The Press in the article published in screen 3 today.