Tourists may be attracted to Montreal’s élan and joie de vivre, but too much of that French doesn’t go over too well, according to a new report.
The survey, conducted by Quebec’s tourism office, polled 7,000 American tourists. Of those, five per cent said French-only signs are a big negative.
The biggest peeve was not understanding parking signs. Tourism Montreal spokesperson Pierre Bellerose said too many tourists end up with parking tickets.
“Maybe we have to ask the police to be more, when they see a New York State license plate, to be less strict, maybe,” he said.
For their part, the Quebec tourism board is choosing to see the positives in the report.
“Many people mentioned that they perceived the French language as exotic in a sense and something that is transporting them to a different atmosphere, so they appreciated it,” said spokesperson Maryse Cote-Hamel.
The board is expecting a busy summer due to the low Canadian dollar and gas prices. 2016 has seen a 17 per cent bump in the number of international tourists compared to this time last year.
