2012 Tourism Year in Review - Difficult economic conditions lead to decreased tourism in Montréal

MONTREAL, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - According to statistics compiled by Tourisme Montréal, tourist traffic to the city decreased in 2012 as a result of a difficult economic climate. After a banner year in 2011, the occupancy rate and average room price in Montréal hotels experienced a minor decrease. The same can be said for international tourists to Quebec in general, which also showed a slight decline. On a positive note, passenger traffic to Montréal's Pierre-Elliot-Trudeau International Airport recorded moderate growth.

Montréal hotel data¹ shows that, from January to November, the average occupancy rate for hotels in the Greater Montréal area decreased by 1.61 percentage points from last year, dropping from 69.25% in 2011 to 67.64% in 2012. The average room rate dropped to $138.84 from $139.59 the year before, denoting a - 0.5 % decrease.

"Unstable economic times have led to a slowdown in various tourist sectors, despite the promotional efforts put forth by the industry in all growth markets. We remain confident, however, that Montréal tourism will turn around in the upcoming months. 2013 promises to be a prosperous one in terms of business tourism, with many conventions to be held in Montréal," underlines the Honourable Charles Lapointe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tourisme Montréal.

From January to September, international tourist arrivals (United States and other countries) to Quebec² decreased by 0.6%, dropping from 1 923 696 to 1 911 219 tourists. This same data, however, demonstrates a rise in American traffic, which is up +0.4%. From January to October, passenger traffic to the Montréal-Trudeau³ airport rose +0.7% as compared to the same period last year.

Several factors can explain why Montréal is currently experiencing a reduction in tourism, in particular the student protests from last summer, an unfavourable economic climate in Europe and the reduced number of meetings held in Montréal in 2012.

In 2011, the city welcomed 7.8 million tourists, with total tourist-related expenditures calculated at over $2.27 billion.

To consult Montréal's 2012 Report on Tourism, please visit: http://www.octgm.com/toolkit/en/statistics/bilan2012-janv-nov.pdf

About Tourisme Montréal
Tourisme Montréal is responsible for providing leadership in the concerted efforts of hospitality and promotion in order to position the "Montréal" destination on leisure and business travel markets. It is also responsible for developing Montréal's tourism product in accordance with the ever-changing conditions of the market. For more information, please visit www.tourisme-montreal.org.

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¹ Source : Hotel Association of Greater Montréal (AHGM)
² Source : Statistics Canada
³ Source : Aéroports de Montréal (ADM)

SOURCE: TOURISME MONTREAL

Source: Tourisme Montréal 

Information: 
Alexandra Graveline
Manager - Corporate Public Relations
Tourisme Montréal
514 844-3558
[email protected]