Townships’ businesses report strong tourism season

By Bryan Laprise

Local Journalism Initiative

While there was a steep decline in Canadian tourists visiting the United States, the number of American visitors visiting Canada remained stable throughout the summer declining by only eight per cent for the month of July. The number of American visitors to Quebec for the month dropped by 24,439, compared to July of 2024.

The local tourism board conducted a mid-summer review for the period of May 1 to July 31, surveying 111 tourist businesses and organizations about the outcome of the tourist season.

“The summer season is going very well in the Eastern Townships,” reassured Hallé during an interview.

According to the survey, 88 per cent of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome of the start of the season. In the accommodation sector, it rises to 93 per cent of respondents being satisfied. Last year, the overall number was closer to 60 per cent, said Hallé.

Hallé highlighted how this success is quite remarkable considering the current period of political tension, inflation, and the cold and rainy weather that plagued May and June.

“It’s the month of July that reversed the trend with warm weather and sunshine,” she said. “As a result, we have nearly 60 per cent of businesses reporting high or very high traffic, so that’s very good.”

Hallé noted that both Quebec and American tourists seem to be on the rise in the region, despite border entry data being more pessimistic. The boycott of American goods (and the country itself) which started as a result of the trade war and the United States administration’s policy created a movement which encouraged a greater number of Quebecers to visit the Eastern Townships. Nearly one- fifth of businesses surveyed reported a “major increase” in visitors from the province. Overall, tourist spending remained stable this summer.

Hallé pointed to a CAA survey whose findings were published on June 4, which ranked the Townships as the fourth most desirable vacation destination in the province. It is ranked below Quebec City (and the surrounding area), Gaspésie and Charlevoix.

“We can say that, yes, the boycott had an effect on our visitors from Quebec, and for the American visitors, 33 per cent of businesses report an increase in Americans,” the spokesperson said.

This year, there has been a trend of last-minute bookings, according to Hallé. This may be due to weather, budgets or “last-minute opportunities.” This trend puts pressure on businesses, which can be uncertain about the number of visitors they may have at a given moment.

While many businesses report more visitors, room occupancy in the accommodation sector has slightly decreased since 2024. In hotels with between four and 39 rooms, the occupancy rate is 38.8 per cent, down 3.8 per cent compared to last year. For establishments with more than 40 rooms, occupancy is 55.5 per cent, an increase of 1.8 per cent.

While it is difficult to measure the full impact of the viral ad campaign launched by Tourism Estrie (“Come Hug It Out in the Eastern Townships”), the communications director admitted that it is possible it had the desired effect. The goal of the campaign was to rebuild bridges between the Townships and tourists from the north-eastern United States over the long term by “consolidating the image” of the region as warm and welcoming.

The tourism board is pondering a second ad campaign, specifically for the fall, but Hallé revealed that there were no concrete plans at this time. Meanwhile,“Come Hug it Out” is still being aired in New England, which will focus on the state of New York in the coming months.

Another boost to the region’s visibility came via an episode of The Amazing Race Canada (Season 11, Episode 6, “I Am A Goat”), which aired on CTV and Crave Aug. 19. Filmed in May, teams visited Sherbrooke, Valcourt, Bromont and Sutton to showcase Townships culture, heritage, active outdoors and wineries,” explained Hallé. “It gave us exceptional national visibility, reaching more than 1.3 million viewers every season across the country.”

Tourism Eastern Townships published an itinerary based on the episode, which is available online at https://www.easterntownships.org/article/2099/the-townships-the-amazing-race-canada-style.