Quebec tourists save the summer season in the Capitale-Nationale

Whether they come from Montreal, Longueuil, Rimouski or Repentigny, Quebec tourists are flocking to the streets of the Capitale-Nationale this summer.

This summer, Quebecers represent no less than 95% of tourists who have stayed in the region.

The other visitors come from Ontario and the Maritimes.

First visit and trip with friends, reasons for stays vary.

But the phenomenon is mainly the result of the closure of the Canada-US border due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only foreign tourists met by TVA Nouvelles on Sunday are in fact workers temporarily established in the country.

“We just decided to travel within Canada,” says one.

If the start of the season has been catastrophic, since the construction holidays, Old Quebec has regained its festive atmosphere.

“It is really good. Distancing is respected, so we don’t even need to wear our masks, so we’re fine, ”said a tourist.

In the morning, Sunday, customers even lining up in front of the restaurants.

“It’s very regional, a lot of Montreal. We see a lot of Sherbrooke, Ontario, we see a lot of people from Lac Saint-Jean. The regions! Fortunately, that’s what keeps us alive this year, because we don’t have tourism, ”says Laval Tremblay, from the Polina pizzeria.

Patrick, who has worked for the tour de ville for eight years, notes that the situation is improving, but it remains an extraordinary summer.

“First of all, these tours are almost entirely in French because we don’t have a clientele from the United States. Second thing is that we have a lot of people from the Montreal, Sherbrooke and Gatineau region, ”he says.

But social distancing and less crowded attractions appeal to some tourists. This is the case for Réjeanne and Marc-André.

“We can appreciate more, then. So we must take advantage of it, ”says the man.

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