Industry banks on Quebecers
As visitors stay away, push is on to rekindle interest in their province
Envisioning a thriving summer tourist season in the time of COVID -19 takes gumption.
Borders remain closed. The Montreal International Jazz and Francos de Montréal festivals count among the list of music blowouts cancelled, and the Just For Laughs festival and Montreal Grand Prix have been postponed. International visitors arriving at the airport face mandatory quarantine.
But hotels are putting physical-distancing and hygiene measures in place and restaurants are figuring things out. And the tourism industry is ramping up efforts to attract local and regional visitors with the goal of salvaging at least a portion of the season. There are deals to be had.
According to Quebec Ministry of Tourism statistics, the industry generates around $16 billion in revenue. Not this summer.
“It’s had a devastating effect on the industry,” Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander said of the pandemic. “The entire business model is in a state of suspended animation.”
At the grassroots level, the mood is glum for some. Sam Namour has owned Le Galerie Chariot on Place Jacques-cartier for 40 years. The gallery specializes in Canadian native art and sculpture.
“I opened on May 25. We have not had one customer walk through the door,” Namour said on June 18. “It’s catastrophic.”
Namour is hoping for a rent reduction and has assets he might be forced to liquidate to carry him through.
Even with the recent opening of Old Port family activities and a number of eateries, Namour doesn’t expect a significant upturn.
“Closing the border until July 21 is also catastrophic,” he said. “Montreal is dead.”
But talk to industry professionals and the mood is determinedly upbeat.
“We don’t have the festivals this summer, but there is still lots to do and see,” Tourisme Montréal CEO Yves Lalumière said. “We have 1,000 parks. We have great neighbourhoods to visit, like the Mile End, Verdun and Griffintown. The malls are opening. The attractions are opening up.”
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée d’art contemporain are open, as is the St-joseph Oratory and the Ecomuseum in Ste-anne-de-bellevue. A little farther afield, the Granby Zoo is back in business and selling a line of animal-themed face masks online. Its water park remains closed.
Lalumière said Montreal normally welcomes around 11 million visitors and the hope is to salvage 25 per cent of the visits — July through October — even with a second wave of COVID-19 predicted as early as September.
“I think we are in a continuous wave and have to learn to live with it for the next year,” he said.
Bars remain closed for the time being, but Lalumière wants people to know that “Montreal is ready and it’s clean.” A campaign is set to be launched, in collaboration with Ottawa and Toronto, to attract visitors to each other’s cities.
Alliance de l’industrie Touristique du Québec (AITQ) CEO Martin Soucy said 2019 was a stellar year for the province, with 35 million visitors. One-quarter of them came from outside Quebec and generated 53 per cent of the tourism-related revenues, according to Quebec Ministry of Tourism statistics.
A Caa-québec survey showed only 50 per cent of Quebecers plan to take a trip this summer, down 25 per cent from last year’s survey.
“Our objective is to get Quebecers to rediscover Quebec,” Soucy said. “Quebecers travelling outside Quebec spend $8 billion. The goal is to capture 45 per cent of that. Our survival depends on the local population.”
Quebec has promised $750 million over two years to help shore up the industry. To help coax people out of their homes for a day or a road trip, a trio of deals are on offer — part of a $20-million government investment to kick-start the industry this summer.
Annual passes to the SEPAQ system of 24 provincial parks are half price, available online only. Admission is free for children 17 years old and under. For more information, visit sepaq.com.
A program called Explore Québec offers 34 travel-package deals. Each includes two nights lodging and two local attractions in six regions. For more information, visit quebecoriginal.com.
The Attractions Passport program offers discounts on admission fees to participating tourist attractions. For more information, visit quebecgetaways.com.
How long it will take to get the industry to rebound remains to be seen. Lander doesn’t expect that to happen until mass testing becomes available.
“In the aftermath of 9/11, people were outraged that they had to remove their shoes at the airport and get a body scan,” Lander said. “Now it’s just part of the process. Over time we will adjust (to pandemic measures). The industry understands and will adapt. Hotels could even begin offering testing as an in-house service — get a massage, a sauna, a COVID -19 test.”
Our objective is to get Quebecers to rediscover Quebec. Quebecers travelling outside Quebec spend $8 billion. The goal is to capture 45 per cent of that. Our survival depends on the local population.
Martin Soucy, CEO, Alliance de l’industrie Touristique du Québec