With statistics “similar” to pre-pandemic levels, Quebec ranks third among the most visited Canadian cities this summer, according to Destination Quebec’s latest cited report.
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According to the organization, the average accommodation occupancy rate between June and September was 82%.
This puts Quebec third in Canada, behind Vancouver and Halifax, but ahead of Toronto, Calgary and Montreal.
This success is partly due to the return of American tourists, emphasizes Destination Québec. Many visitors also came from Western Canada. However, the number of these tourists is lower than before the pandemic.
“Despite a few surprises at the beginning of the summer, we have done well,” noted Destination Québec director Robert Mercure, quoted in an interview with Le Journal. According to him, forest fires and floods disrupted the start of the tourist season.
Utilization increases
Average occupancy in June clearly reflects this false start at the start of the season, standing at 78% before rising to 81% in July.
The first week of July was one of the three summer weeks in which Quebec was Canada’s most popular travel destination.
Although there are fewer of them, tourists in Quebec are spending more than in 2019, as tourist spending is estimated at just over a billion dollars in 2023, up 16%.
The organization expects that the enthusiasm for Quebec in the summer will continue into the winter season and enable the achievement of the annual goals. Destination Quebec is already seeing a “pretty sharp decline” but is focusing much of its energy on promoting winter.
“We allocate larger portions of our marketing budget to the winter season,” explains Mr. Mercure. “We see the potential and international interest. »
Destination Quebec not only wants to allow tourists to stay longer in Quebec, but also help them discover attractions outside the city and get them to travel “outside Old Quebec,” according to Robert Mercure.
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