Stakes are high to make festival season a success this summer, says a business leader
A leader in Montreal's business community says certain factors threaten to throw a wrench into this year's festival season.
Chiefly among them is a labour shortage.
"It's really hard to maintain, especially for festivals, those very highly skilled technicians that make all that magic come true for festivalgoers," said Glenn Castanheira, executive director of Downtown Montreal Merchants' Association on Saturday.
Castanheira says all hands must be on deck, especially as the city looks to bounce back from the pandemic.
He says 2019 was a record year for tourism, with over 11 million tourists. In 2022, there were 8.5 million. This year, the city is on track to surpass its pre-pandemic record by welcoming 9.5 million tourists.
"Seeing that we have the same level of occupancy in hotels, yet we have more hotels today than we had in 2019, which indicates that were having more people in our city," he said, citing the return of international tourists, who were previously kept out by covid travel restrictions.
Ensuring the influx of tourists have a good time when they arrive is paramount, says Castanheira. And he says the stakes are even higher this year because of inflation.
"We know that people are making financial sacrifices. That discretionary expense of choosing to come to downtown Montreal for their vacation and time off is something we don't take lightly," he said.
Castanheira is also encouraging Montrealers to be a tourist in their own city this summer.
"People are crossing oceans and continents to discover our city. You can cross a river and check it out for yourself."
FESTIVAL SNAPSHOT
Montreal's jam-packed schedule for summer festivals is well underway. Here is a partial list of what you can expect:
- Francos de Montreal ( June 9 to 17)
- MURAL Festival (June 8 to 18)
- St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival (May 29 to June 18)
- Formula 1 Grand Prix (June 16 to 18)
- Montreal International Jazz Festival (June 29 to July 8)
- Festival sur le Canal (June 16 to 18)
- L'International des Feux Loto-Quebec-Fireworks festival (Several dates between June 29 and August 10)
- Just for Laughs (July 14 to 29)
- Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (August 4 to 6)
- Montreal Pride (August 3 to 13)
- LASSO (August 18 to 19)
-With files from CTV's Amanda Kline
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.