Of all the regions of the province, it is the Capitale-Nationale region which, by far, should be the most visited by Quebecers this summer, with 31% of travel intentions, according to a survey conducted by the Chaire de tourism from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism*. But who can still afford to stay there?
Even excluding Summer Festival or construction holiday dates, rooms under $300 are rare. On Booking.com, by registering the night from August 12 to 13, two hotels were offering a room this week at around $275 in Sainte-Foy. Otherwise, everything was above $300 and much closer to $400. And at that price, we are still far from staying at the Château Frontenac.
As we say a little jokingly, “a week in the South is cheaper than a weekend in Quebec!” says Marc-Antoine Vachon, holder of the UQAM Chair in Tourism.
“The price of travel in Quebec poses a challenge” both for people here and for the authorities who plan the tourist offer, he observes.
“Come to Montreal, it’s cheaper!” laughs Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal, for people from outside the metropolis.
“It’s a game of supply and demand, and summer… that’s how it is,” he continues. The Europeans arrive with their euro, the Americans with their dollar. And luckily hoteliers fill up during the summer […] because in Montreal, for example, they lost 90% of the business people who came for a one-day meeting. That is now very, very rare, meetings continue to be held virtually. »
Quebec has its world heritage recognition from UNESCO, it is no longer a small provincial jewel. It is a splendor, it is known and it is paid for.
What is also reflected in the price lists, in Montreal as elsewhere in Quebec, he argues, is the fact that what is sold, in one night, “is no longer a bathroom, a bed and a bedside table.
“Several hoteliers have taken advantage of the pandemic to renovate their hotel rooms to improve the guest experience. There is that which plays into the price of the room, too”, he specifies, giving the example of the restaurants of hotels which are also much more upscale.
Alupa Clarke, general manager of the Hotel Association of the Quebec region, agrees that the night in Quebec “is not given”, but that families can fall back “on hotels on the outskirts”. The prices are comparable to the average of the major Canadian destinations of Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax and Calgary, he argues.
In July, the anticipated occupancy rate is 85% in Quebec City, and 90% in August.
It will also be interesting to see the impact that the new flights will have in the fall that will directly connect Seoul to Quebec (chartered flights from Korean Airlines).
Big tourist season in sight
On the roads of Quebec, there will be people this summer. The Ministry of Tourism forecasts an increase in the number of foreign tourists in Quebec for the year 2023 (compared to 2022) of more than 30%. Some 4.2 million Canadian tourists outside Quebec are expected (+16%), 2.2 million tourists from the United States (+67%) and 1.6 million tourists from other countries (+43%).
It will swarm in the bucolic streets of Quebec, “where the management of tourist flows, particularly with cruise ships, is an issue for residents,” underlines Mr. Vachon.
Under these conditions, hotels in Quebec – particularly popular in the summer, during Carnival, spring break and at Easter – therefore do not have to make a lot of marketing efforts, it is suggested to Mr. Clarke , of the Hotel Association. On the contrary, nothing is ever acquired, he retorts. “For example, the forest fires caused many people to cancel their stay. Seeing the sky in New York, Americans thought we were on fire, they thought it was terrible in Quebec. »
He also evokes the pope’s visit to Quebec last summer. The media announced “a crowded capital”, while the Plains of Abraham were rather deserted.
Difficult, the little improvised getaway
For Montreal, despite the high prices, it remains that it is quite easy to find accommodation on vacation. In Quebec, on peak weekends, it’s more complicated, as is the case for many other destinations. In Tadoussac, sites like Booking and Expedia no longer display anything for July or August on weekends and almost nothing on weekdays.
So you have to get off the beaten track, but to go where? “With us! says Tourisme Outaouais. Its President and CEO, Julie Kinnear, says that her region “is still little known”.
The difficulty is to attract people, but once they have discovered it, they are enchanted and return to it.
Julie Kinnear, CEO, Outaouais Tourism
Even for a last-minute getaway – “Montreal is only an hour away,” she recalls – there is a way to find accommodation.
What strikes Marc-Antoine Vachon, from the Tourism Chair, is that this year, even those who want to go elsewhere – the beaches of Maine, New Jersey or Europe – also want to a second trip, to Quebec, for which “they had a crush during the pandemic”.
According to a CAA survey, the percentage of Quebecers who plan to spend their holidays in Quebec is down 8 points compared to 2022. This is therefore the case for 57% of people in this summer of 2023.
Tourisme Gaspésie is well aware of all this.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Percé rock, in Gaspésie
“Various surveys are currently showing renewed interest among Quebecers in trips outside the province,” notes Joëlle Ross, General Manager of Tourisme Gaspésie. Despite strong competition between destinations in Quebec and around the world, Tourisme Gaspésie remains confident for the coming season. An in-house survey reveals that reservations are similar to those of last year and that there is still availability, even for the height of the season. »
What about labor shortages?
Alupa Clarke, general manager of the Association hôtelière de la region de Québec, says that its members together report a shortage of 1,250 employees out of the magic number of 6,500. He assures that despite this, “we are no longer closing rooms or floors” due to lack of staff.
In Montreal, Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal, believes that the crisis is over. “Most of my members report full staff. »
* From April 21 to 27, 2023, the Transat Tourism Chair conducted a survey for the Ministry of Tourism among 1,006 Quebecers who plan to stay for at least one night away from home in the summer of 2023.