Tourisme Montréal says the city is expecting a busy summer, thanks to new direct flights, renovated hotels, and a booming restaurant scene.
Visitor interest in the metropolis is up, with an 18 per cent increase in Google searches about Montreal – compared to 2023.
Pre-pandemic visitor levels have returned since last year. In 2019, a record 11 million tourists came to the city and that was matched in 2023.
For 2024, Tourisme Montréal expects to see two per cent more travellers.
For the summer season, they are forecasting 80 per cent occupancy rate in hotels, with peaks of 89 per cent during the Grand Prix in June, 88 per cent during Osheaga in early August, and 84 per cent during the International Jazz Festival.
Tourism industry revenues will increase by five to seven per cent.
The industry is counting on customers who will set foot in the city for the first time.
“We are lucky to have an airport that develops its international destinations. Air Canada is adding direct flights from Montreal to Seoul, South Korea, which brings us new customers, he explains. We are also increasing the number of cities in the United States, so we are adding Houston, Texas, which is an important emerging city, and St. Louis,” said President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, Yves Lalumière.
With more and more interest from French speakers, Air Transat added Montreal-Marrakech to its offer.
Direct flights to Stockholm and Tulum join the already popular Tokyo and Dubai.
Montreal-Trudeau expects to see 1 million more passengers than last year. This number corresponds to an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2023 for international arrivals, 13 per cent more for flights from the United States and nine per cent for tourists arriving from Canada.