MONTREAL – The Quebec government is looking to the future when international tourists are back, but in the meantime they want to make sure that Montreal’s top attractions can survive.

In 2019, Montreal hit an all-time record with more than 11 million tourists flocking to the city. Then the pandemic struck and that number dropped to 1 million in 2020.

But with the reopening of the provinces, namely Ontario, summer is on the up.

“There’s no better time to come to Montreal … and summer won’t be over until the end of October this year,” said Yves Lalumiere, President and CEO of Tourism Montreal, with a laugh.

Tourism Montreal expects 2 million visitors this year and the government looks to 2022 and beyond. It is partnering with the Quebec government to invest more than $ 12 million to fund projects and installations at key landmarks in the downtown area, the Old Port, and the village.

“If they went away, Montreal’s attractions would go down, so we and Yves’ team wanted to make sure they stay there,” said Caroline Proulx, Quebec Tourism Minister.

It’s welcome news for Tourism Montreal.

“This is vital and helps us to ensure that we protect what we have and we gain ground to get visitors back to our destination,” says the head of the organization.

According to the minister, the hope is that these projects will be the icing on the cake for tourists who want to enjoy what Montreal has to offer as soon as it can welcome international guests and when major festivals and events take place again.

Nevertheless, the tourism minister sees the future as bright.

“I’m really optimistic about 2022-2023, really optimistic,” Proulx said.

Proulx said she expects Montreal to return to record tourism levels by 2025.

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