Montreal sees spike in tourism, summer visits up by 10%

American tourists have once again taken a shine toMontreal, as a new study revealsthat visits from American tourists rose by 10 per centbetween June and August, over the same period in 2014.

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The low Canadian dollargave Americans more bang for the buck, which is always a factor, according to surveys Tourism Montreal conducted with American tourists.

"There's a direct correlation with the foreign exchange,"YvesLalumire, the president and CEO of Tourism Montreal,told CBC last June.

Visitors also seeMontreal as a safe and friendly destination in surveys, he noted.

Motorists drove the rise in tourism, as 13per cent more vehicles entered Quebec through border stops,while air passenger visitswere up a more modest fourpercent over2014, according to a new Tourism Montreal study.

Hotelsthrived,as revenuesrose by 9per cent according to the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal, a hike fuelled by a 86 per cent occupation rate and price increasesof five per cent.

Five major conferences, including those of the AmericanAssociation for Justice and theInternational Gas Turbine Institute generated about 6,000 visits.

Montreal museums reportedan eight per cent rise in visits,as theRodin exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts attracted over 200,000 visitors, while 124,000 people attended popularexhibits by David Altmejd and JonRafmanat theMuse d'art contemporain de Montral.

The Horst exhibition at the McCord Museum attracted 50,000 visitors while the The Aztecs, People of the Sun, proved popular at the Pointe--Callire Museum.

Sporting events, including theTheFIFAWomen'sWorld Cup Canada 2015 also attracted many out-of-towners.