Montreal likely to pass 10 million-visitor mark for 1st time by end of 2016

Tourists have been flocking to Montreal at a record-breaking pace this year, an increase that is beingpropelled in large part by visitors from China.

According to numbers gathered by TourismeMontralbetween January andJune of this year, the cityhas seen a 10 per cent increase in the number of visitors compared to the same period last year.

The tourism agency estimatesthe total number of visitors will exceed 10 million for the first time by the end of 2016.

YvesLalumire, president and CEO ofTourismeMontral, saidthe influx has been felt all over the sector, from hotels to major attractions like La Ronde and Saint Joseph's Oratory.

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More tourists from Europe and Asia

While American tourism increased by 13 per cent in July, a majority of the year-to-date increase comesfrom Europe and Asia.

In particular, visits were up fromGermany (18 per cent), Spain (17per cent) and France (21 per cent).

But the largest increase, by far, is from China. The number of Chinese touristssurged 205per cent between January andJuly, compared with the year before.

Lalumirecredited this dramatic increase to the creation, in September 2015,of adirect flight betweenMontrealand Beijing. A direct flight between Montreal andShanghai was announced last month.

"It's amazing," he said, "This is a market that willcontinueto increasesharplyover the next 10 years andwe need to look to Japan and Korea as well."

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Tour company says business is booming

Those who work in the tourism industry believe they have benefited from favourable exchange rates.

"I would say it's one of our best years in the past 30 years, for sure," saidLouiseHbert, whoruns MontrealGuidatour, a company thatoffersguided tours of the Old Port."We saw an increase of 30 to35 per cent."

Hbert said her increase is largely due toAmerican tourists, who are attracted bythe low exchange rate and the added safety of travelling within Canada.

"The Americans do not want to fly to Europe this year," she said. "Theyget a bit of the French flavour we offer."

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