Quebec's Eastern Townships looks to residents to boost tourism recovery

After a slow start to the season, players in the Eastern Townships's tourist industry are hoping for a busier summer.

Simon Proulx is the owner of Minton's Restaurant and co-owner of a street food truck in Hatley, Que., a township in the Memphrémagog regional county municipality. He said this spring was a disaster for both of his businesses, and despite loosened pandemic restrictions, things aren't looking up for him just yet. 

"Unfortunately, the season is off to a very slow start. I think there are a number of factors involved, including the price of gas, which is very high and slows people down," he said. 

Despite this, tourism operators are confident they'll see a resurgence of visitors in the months to come. The Townships is known to attract out-of-towners who come to enjoy the region's scenic views, numerous parks and trails, heritage sites, local shops and abundance of outdoor recreation.

"We do not have precise data on the reservation rate of American customers. What we do know in the past is that they arrive a little later in the summer, unlike the Ontario clientele that we have heard are already here," said Annie Langevin, the general manager of Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est. 

A spokesperson with Destination Sherbrooke, the municipal department of tourism in the city, shares those sentiments. 

"We believe the tourist season will be interesting, very beautiful. It's a slow start, but that's nothing new for Sherbrooke. Often, we see that it starts around July 5, 6, even 10," said Amélie Boissonneau. 

Relying on residents

While Destination Sherbrooke says sports tourism and many festivals offered in the region should attract visitors, its objective is also to keep Sherbrooke residents in the city.

"They want to go out, so we are in seduction mode with them. In fact, we recently launched a campaign for attraction passports, a type of package with many activities, to tell people to stay in Sherbrooke, because there's a lot to do," said Boissonneau.

Foreign visitors now represent only 5 per cent of the region's tourism, which is why tourist operators say it's important to think about domestic tourism. 

"I think that during the pandemic, the people of the Eastern Townships rediscovered their region, found activities, favourite things to do that they will continue to do," said Langevin.

"We must remember that in the Townships, 95 per cent of our four-season tourist clientele comes from Quebec."