'Relief' for Old Port businesses as Montreal welcomes first cruise ship in two years
The Port of Montreal welcomed its first cruise ship since the fall of 2019, after the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the cruise and travel industry.
On Saturday, hundreds of American tourists disembarked to explore the city.
"We've been stuck pretty much in Houston for the last two-and-a-half years, so this is our venture into the outside world," passenger Karen Chapman told CTV News.
The Ocean Navigator left Portland, Maine last week, and after stops in Halifax and Quebec City, sailed down the Saint Lawrence River to Montreal.
Tourists spent the day in the city before heading for their next destination: Toronto.
The Port of Montreal is expecting 45 cruise ship visits this season, bringing about 50,000 passengers to the metropolis.
But that's roughly half the number of ships and people as there were in the 2019 season, before the pandemic shut the industry down.
Cruise ships became hot-beds for COVID-19 infections and were banned from Canadian waters until this year.
Along with border restrictions, it was yet another blow to the tourist shops and restaurants of Old Montreal.
"It was a ghost town down here. At one point, someone was walking down the street reading a book because there were no cars," said Michelle Riglin of John Fluevog Shoes.
For businesses reliant on tourist dollars, there's hope that this Spring's slow return of travellers is a sign of a busy summer ahead, especially for the hard-hit service industry.
"It's a good relief for us. We are very happy to welcome everybody," said Adrian Becerra of restaurant La Catrina. "It's been very challenging times, but we have strong resilience at this point and [are] looking forward to welcoming everybody back."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.