Montreal has always been one of the most exciting tourist places in Canada. It welcomed a record-breaking 11 million visitors in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then tourism was hit by the pandemic. There is a lot of hope for the revival of tourism in Montreal as tourism officials expect eight million visitors in 2022. Read on to know more.
It is estimated that most of the visitors
will be from Canada itself, and many will be from the US. It is a fact that US
tourists are the largest group of international visitors that traditionally
spend more than other tourists.
Rise of Hotel Bookings
According to Jean-Sébastien Boudreault,
President of the Greater Hotel Association of Greater Montreal, hotel bookings
might reach 70-80% of full capacity. Some visitors have already arrived in the
city and are enjoying the liberty of traveling again.
Tourists Speak
Barbara Kostick, a tourist from Alberta who
was traveling with her husband, expressed her views on traveling again and
stated, “Everybody needs to get back out and get doing things, get visiting
things and seeing people.”
Americans prefer Montreal to travel and
enjoy a lot. Peter Healey, a tourist from Rhode Island who was traveling with
his wife, stated, “We were looking for a place to go. We’ve never been to
Montreal, we’ve been to Quebec many, many times but never to Montreal. We
decided to come and check it out, and it’s a beautiful day, so it was a good
choice.”
A Revenue Generator
The tourism industry is a key part of
Montreal’s economy. It is a multi-billion dollar business that generates huge
revenues for the city’s economy. The International Jazz Festival and Formula 1
Grand-Prix are two huge events that attract tourists and help boost business
profits. As both events are expected to be back this year, thousands of
tourists will also follow.
Glenn Castanheria, The Executive Director
of Montréal Centre-Ville, is thrilled that the events are back and millions of
tourists are heading to Montreal as its one of the most popular destinations
this summer. Castanheria stated, “Tourisme-Montréal has noticed an incredible
increase in searches for flights to Montreal, and on their website to know the
programming to know what’s happening in the city.”
Though 2022 might not be able to break the
previous tourist records, this will likely be a strong year and boost tourism
considerably. Castanheria said, “We’re cautiously optimistic and also very
grateful.” Castanheria said.
Future Hope
Operators are hoping the trend of returning
tourists will continue over the next few months. Robert Costa, Montreal Tour
Guide for Gray Line, stated, “We are still in May, but I do think this coming
summer is going to be much more busy.”
Tourism to restaurants has risen in the
spring, and the hope for the future is better. Alain Creton, Owner of Alexandre
et Fils, stated, “I expect that it’s going to continue, and it’s going to be
like that all summer because we are ready.”
Places to Check Out in Montreal
If you are heading to Montreal too, add the
following places to your list:
·
Notre-Dame Basilica
·
Vieux-Montreal
·
Jardin Botanique
·
Oratoire Saint-Joseph
·
Parc Jean Drapeau
·
Musée des Beaux-Arts
Here are more
things to do in Montreal.
Sources:
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/places-to-visit-in-montreal/
https://colorsofindia.media/world/canada/tourism-officials-expecting-a-summer-boom-in-montreal-montreal/