Statistics Canada just published the International Travel: Advance Information Bulletin for September 2008. Not surprisingly there was a notable slowdown in travel to Canada. The current global economic environment is hitting travel hard all over the world. US visits were dramatically down in September, down 18.5% compared to September '07. The troubling financial situation in the UK was reflected with a decline of 9.8% in UK visitors compared to last year. Pleaseantly surprising France and Germany were up with 14.7% and 6.2% respectively. Quebec's 400th Anniversary celebrations are credited for the stellar performance of the French market this year.
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When it comes to Hispanic inbound markets the two big stars saw continued growth. Mexico was up 8.8% in september and still showing double digit growth for the year to date (11%). Incredibly, Spain, where there is no official Canadian Tourism marketing whatsoever, and at a time when Spain is also experiencing economic difficulties, sent us 13.9% more tourists this past September than in the same month last year. For the period Jan to Sept 2008, Spanish inbound is up a remarkable 15.2%. Olé!
Quebec City knows how to throw a party. It's good that not all of Canada is here to celebrate because there would be no space. However, I hope millions of canadians are here in spirit. Having been to pretty much all the great cities in North America (Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Chicago, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and many more), I have to conclude that Quebec City is indeed the most beautiful city in North America. And visiting during the Festival d'Eté and the celebrations for the 400th Anniversary just makes it all the much better. Felicitations Québec. - The Commemorative show for the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec was a veritable theatrical, musical and historical extravaganza attended by thousands and thousands of people near and around the Assemblée nationale du Québec Building in Quebec City. Many musical acts entertained the public and even drew a tear or two - especially Marie-Jo Thériault's singing Evangeline about the character created by the American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that tells the tale of a woman exiled from her home in Acadia.
I'm in Quebec City on Holidays with my wife and my daughter (they're in the pool and I am blogging for five minutes). Quebec City is as beautiful as ever and all dressed up for a huge party. Last night we went to see Robert LePage's the Image Mill, an immense and brilliant work about the history and culture of this great city. LePage's Image Mill is quite impressive as it involves projecting the piece onto the silos at the old port. The silos comprise a screen that's 600 metres long by 80 metres high I believe. Just awesome.
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Today, after some R&R by the hotel's pool, I will be going to the Quebec 400th Commemorative show by the Quebec Parliament's building. It should be a lot of fun.
It's been confirmed by the Québec City 400th organization. The Urban Opera I was so much looking forward to seeing with my family next summer has been cancelled. I spoke to my wife and daughter and they just shrugged their shoulders. My dissappointment has subsided, having read what may be done to replace the Urban Opera. Having planned our summer already, we've concluded that it will still be worth it to visit Quebec City as planned. (see previous posting on this matter)
“With less than 6 months to go, the Urban Opera was facing major technical difficulties that put its feasibility in doubt”, announced general manager Daniel Gélinas. “This artistic project has been adapted accordingly to launch the "Québec plein la rue" series that will bring the biggest international street performance companies here for a North American premiere”...general manager Daniel Gélinas
The “Québec plein la rue" series will be produced by the Québec Summer Festival in collaboration with the Carnaval de Québec M. Christie and the Grands Feux Loto-Québec, and will be presented on July 3, 4 and 5, 2008 at Place de l’Assemblée-nationale...
The Québec Summer Festival launches its 2008 edition that same weekend, with a lineup of exclusive international performances from July 3-6 at all its venues in what promises to be an exciting program to mark the 400th anniversary celebrations." (press release)
A note in today's Globe and Mail dissappoints me as a Canadian Tourism professional and infuriates me as a Canadian citizen and passionate domestic traveller. "Quebec City's 400th Anniversary - Birthday bash turning into a big-time bust," reads the headline on page A4. Apparently the tales of woe of the 400th Anniversary continue unabated. The head of the organizing committee was demoted after conflict of interest allegations surfaced recently.
The fantastic show on New Year's Eve/Day has been criticized for not provinding "adequate transportation, proper crowd control" and the lack of "promised giant screens for everyone to take the show." Well, leave it to the media to be critical. I was able to catch some of the show on television and from what I saw, I wished I had been there. Having said that though, I think the great opportunity for Canadian Tourism that the 400th Anniversary could have been - is not.
In my previous posting I touched on our regional and historical jealousies and grievances, which it seems to me have everything to do with the fact that the powers that be (be it the PM or Premier Charest or whoever) did not invite the Queen to the celebrations. This is unfortunate, although understandable. However, everyone agrees that the Queen's invitation would have given the celebrations (and most importantly Quebec City) worldwide publicity. I am not ignorant of 1759 and I understand political sensitivities regarding separatism, but "come on", if you have the chance to put your province in the world stage in a positive light... (Mexico was not only conquered by Spain, but its indigenous people were exploited and even tortured and murdered by the Spaniards and their Inquisition during the 16th and 17th centuries, but today Mexicans and Spaniards have one of the strongest and loving relationships in the world, and I am curious to find out if the King of Spain will be invited to Mexico's Bicentennial celebrations in 2010).
Now, according to the G&M article it's been reported that the Pope has declined an invitation to attend the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City - another blow to the year's events.
And for the icing on this bitter cake, what is supposed to be one of the major events of the celebrations, The Urban Opera, a spectacular arts extravaganza in Quebec City on July 4, 5 and 6 with more than 1,000 performers and multimedia shows, may be cancelled (the Globe's article indicated it may be cancelled today). This one, not only bothers me as a promoter of Canada (and make no mistake, my Canada includes Quebec), but also as a Canadian passionate about traveling in Canada. My family and I chose the July 4th weekend to celebrate Quebec City's 400th precisely because I convinced them that that weekend would be incredible because of the Urban Opera. If it's cancelled, we will have to revisit our plans and knowing my wife and daughter we may decide to cancel the vacation in Quebec altogether (naah, we'll still go, I'm just upset right now).
So what's next? Celine Dion cancels free concert in August?
Just when I was thinking of making Quebec's 400th the centerpiece of my Canada promotion to Hispanic markets in 2008! Je suis vraiment triste! O Canada, O Quebec!
Statistics Canada just published the International Travel: Advance Information Bulletin for September 2008. Not surprisingly there was a notable slowdown in travel to Canada. The current global economic environment is hitting travel hard all over the world. US visits were dramatically down in September, down 18.5% compared to September '07. The troubling financial situation in the UK was reflected with a decline of 9.8% in UK visitors compared to last year. Pleaseantly surprising France and Germany were up with 14.7% and 6.2% respectively. Quebec's 400th Anniversary celebrations are credited for the stellar performance of the French market this year.
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