Townships tourism
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while 25 per cent expressed that their expectations were surpassed while visiting the area.”
Several video promotions were released throughout the week for the region, with a special ad targeting youth in Sherbrooke thanks to a collaboration between Valaire, an electro-jazz group from Sherbrooke, and a local producer, Jaycee. Overall, marketing campaigns in the region will be entitled to a budget of $600,000 for the summer.
“We want to encourage Townshippers to discover the rest of the area too. We live on a very large and diverse territory, where the Bromont resident can become the Megantic tourist,” mentioned Patenaude.
A Haute-yamaska representative invited the population to visit Granby Zoo’s new lion’s den, which required an investment of three million dollars.
Meanwhile, Val-saint-françois boasted its new Laö Cabins, which offer housing in contemporary glass cabins that are raised on stilts with a view on Mount Orford.
Although a variety of trails on Mount Orford will be closed to hikers this summer due to renovations, over 12 kilometres of mountain biking trails will be offered in Memphremagog. Dogs are also now welcomed.
As an addition to Foresta Lumina’s program, tourists in the Coaticook MRC will now be able to enjoy a Fairy Sanctuary at the Tourist information centre. Giant touch screens, photo booths, music, and fairy treasures will likely entertain the little ones from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on nights that Foresta Lumina is active.
The MRC du Granit will now offer a new film, Émergence, l’évolution cosmique, at the Parc national du Mont-mégantic. It will be presented on a 10-metre screen with 4K projection and will be accompanied by interactive digital activities.
The Parc régional du Mont-ham will feature a new addition, the Espace Abénakis. Open to visitors, the mountain discovery trail is enhanced with traditional Abenakis accents.
Finally, Brome-missisquoi will open a new outdoors recreational facility on the slopes of Mount Brome. It will boast over 40 new activities, including ziplines, climbing walls, a free-fall simulator, a 30-feet tall swing, and many more. There are also several treetop aerial courses appropriate for all ages.
TCE has been working hard to promote the development of the tourism industry in the Townships since 1978. The Eastern Townships is the third most visited region in Quebec with 10,3 million visitors, 6,5 million overnight stays, and over $909 M spent in the area by tourists in 2017. Tourism accounts for over 2,000 businesses and generates more than 20,000 jobs annually.