A Prosperous Summer for Montréal's Tourism Industry

According to the most recent data compiled by Tourisme Montréal, the city's tourism industry flourished during the 2016 summer season. In fact, Montréal's tourist numbers will exceed 10 million for the first time by the end of the year. "Montréal is increasingly generating buzz. According to the results of our year-long survey, 95% of tourists and 94% of business travellers who came to Montréal reported that they were satisfied with their stay in the city.

I would like to congratulate all members of Montréal's tourism industry for their excellent teamwork," said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.

Compared to last year, tourist numbers increased across the board, including crossings at the Québec border, traffic at the Montréal Airport and hotel statistics.

Here's a detailed look at the main indicators.

From January to June, the number of international tourists (from the United States and overseas) entering at Québec borders increased by 10.7% in 2016 compared to the same period last year. The number of Americans arriving to Québec by car grew by 10.3% while the number of those arriving on other means of transportation climbed by 10.5%. The total number of American tourists rose by 13% in July 2016 compared to July 2015.

Meanwhile, the number of tourists coming from France, which is Montréal's top overseas market, enjoyed a substantial surge of 21.2% in July alone. This is the largest increase seen from this market since the beginning of the year. From January to July, the average increase was 9.6%.

For the January to July period, an 11.3% increase in travellers from overseas was recorded at Québec borders. Specifically, the following per-country increases were recorded during that period: 18.2% for Germany, 5.4% for the United Kingdom, 16.9% for Spain and 8.8% for French-speaking Europe (France, Switzerland and Belgium). The Chinese market has also performed very well since a direct flight between Montréal and Beijing was added in September 2015. The number of Chinese tourists entering Québec jumped by 205.4% between January and July. According to the Conference Board of Canada, the Chinese market is expected to grow by 35% in 2016, 18% in 2017, and 15% in 2018.

Meanwhile, the total traffic at Montréal-Trudeau Airport rose by 4.9% for the January to May period. Montréal welcomed more than 7.9 million passengers during this period.

Finally, according to the most recent statistics from the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal, hotels in the Greater Montréal Area enjoyed a 75.2% average occupation rate from January to September. The average room rate increased by 6.8% and accommodation revenues rose by 8.9% compared to the same period in 2015. In Montréal's downtown core, hotel room occupation rates exceeded 90% in August and September.