Montreal tourism back to pre-pandemic numbers, summer’s busiest weekend saw record numbers for events

MONTREAL – Midway through the tourist season, Tourisme Montréal reports the city having welcomed visitors on par with the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s above our expectation at this point,” says Yves Lalumière of Tourisme Montréal. “Partly due to the international arrivals, we are about plus 15 per cent in different markets.”

Tourisme Montréal points out that hotel occupancy rates in the city are now at pre-pandemic levels, with an average of nearly 80 per cent, while hotel capacity has increase by 5 per cent.

“Now people are fully staffed, hotels are fully staffed,” says Lalumière. “Still a little bit of pockets here and there in terms of restoration but I think the ecosystem has done a terrific job.”

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The organization reports that visitors from the U.S. and France remain the majority of tourists to Montreal, but that so far this year there has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of visitors from other countries, notably the U.K., Mexico and Brazil.

Tourisme Montréal maintains that the festivals and events that take place in Montreal during the summer generate high visitor numbers. Since the start of the summer season, Montreal has also hosted more than 80 business and sporting events, figures similar to those for the same period last year.

Lalumière says around 11 million tourists visit the city each year, with around four million during a strong summer season. Tourisme Montréal forecasts are optimistic for the rest of the season, with a six per cent increase in total passenger volume expected through to October.

“The city is being described as a playground for international tourism,” said Lalumière.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 14, 2023.