The Quebec of the eye to chinese tourists

Photo Agence QMI, Daniel Mallard
The delegation of sixty tour operators in china in particular, made to the Hotel de glace in Quebec city, Saturday. If the Chinese prefer to visit Quebec in the summer, the travel agencies now want to develop the winter tourism.

Dominique Lelièvre

Saturday, 27-jan-2018 22:04

UPDATE
Saturday, 27-jan-2018 22:04

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Québec’s tourism industry out of the great game to woo its chinese partners at a time when a large delegation of the Middle kingdom is crossing into the province.

Not less than sixty tour operators in china have landed in Montreal, Thursday, to soak up all the attractions of the province in order to better sell to their customers back in their country. It is the agency’s montreal Sinorama, which specializes in trips to Asia, which has orchestrated the whole thing.

The representatives have tasted maple taffy in a sugar shack on île d’orléans, before attending Friday at the launch of the Quebec winter Carnival. They were at the ice Hotel of Quebec city, on Saturday morning, just before heading back to the metropolis, where they will meet with several actors in quebec. A stop at Mont-Tremblant is also provided.

“The Chinese are beginning to travel a lot,” remarked Claude Landry, of Sinorama. These are travelers who love to discover the world, then it is sure that the goal, in the end, it is to make the Québec that they come in bigger numbers and that it generates economic benefits. “

Winter tourism

If winter interested a little Chinese so far, things are about to change, ” said Lucien Jin, a tour operator, chinese. “We have purposely come here in the winter, to know a little about the snow of Quebec city and the Carnival. And since, in 2022, we organize the winter olympic Games to Beijing, I believe that there is something to be done “, he observed.

The man adds that the past few years, the middle class has increased in China, the result of sustained economic growth. “There are more and more Chinese can travel, and it is easier to get out of the country,” he says.

According to his words, the travel agencies are active in China to develop the quebec market, which appears promising. “You have a beautiful nature and warm people “, has complimented Lucien Jin.

Towards a record year

From 2011 to 2016, the influx of chinese tourists has jumped by 20 % in Canada. A good portion of this windfall benefits in Quebec, according to Mr. Landry, especially since the opening of a first direct link between Montreal and Beijing, three years ago, to which is added a binding with Shanghai last year.

“This is exceptional, and it is certain that it does not have a direct flight since before you had to go through Toronto “, stressed Claude Landry.

Québec’s tourism industry expected to welcome a record number of chinese tourists in the next few months, the year 2018 has been designated international Year of tourism Canada-China. The agreement has prompted the canadian government to open seven new centres of reception of visa applications in China.

By the numbers

• 610 000 Chinese visitors to Canada in 2016, which is 24% higher than in 2015
• 73 000 visitors in Quebec in 2014
• Second-largest market for the tourism revenue in Canada

*Sources : Destination Canada and Tourisme Québec