Montreal tourist industry holds hopes to return of global travellers

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

The tourists have been coming back but very slowly, say Montreal businesses.

As of Sept. 7, all international travellers and not just Americans will be able to visit Canada if they are fully vaccinated.

Local merchants say the difference should be business-wise immediately noticeable. That is because non-American tourists have a different approach.

Francis Bouchard of Tourisme Montreal said that usually, American visitors come for two to three days per stay.

But, tourists from France usually stay 11 days.

So far in summer 2021, news has been good for the industry, said Bouchard.

It has just been a slow and steady process after last year’s economic bottoming-out.

He also said that they have doubled or tripled the number of visitors they have had in the [tourist] attractions.

Of Tuesday’s new rules, international visitors will have an important impact on the numbers there.

This year’s tourism numbers may be up from last year.

But it is still nowhere near the record numbers of 2019 when 11 million people visited Montreal.

One tourist from Vancouver who was visiting the Old Port explained why it is safer to travel now.

He took all the right precautions and came to see my parents.

According to experts, Montreal is one of the safer options in North America, with one of the highest vaccination rates in the continent.

A health expert said the risks are also fairly low for Montrealers considering the vaccination requirement.

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