MONTREAL – Montreal’s tourism industry experienced a slowdown in 2012 after solid growth the previous year, said the city’s official tourism marketer, blaming difficult economic conditions in Europe as well as student protests in the city last summer.
Also a factor was the drop in business meetings held in Montreal this year, said Tourism Montreal.
Hotel room rates fell marginally, by 0.5 per cent, to $138.84 on average compared with 2011. Hotel occupancy rates also declined slightly.
Declines were felt across various tourist sectors despite promotional efforts to boost the industry, said Tourism Montreal CEO Charles Lapointe.
He said the outlook for business tourism next year is positive, with several conventions booked for the city.
For the province as a whole, a 0.4 per cent rise in the number of American tourists between January and September this year was offset by a 2.4 per cent drop in visitors from other countries, resulting in an overall 0.6 decline in international tourist arrivals.
Comments