'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
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
A child killer legally changed his name in B.C. The province is trying to stop that from happening again
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.