Montreal tourism has returned to pre-pandemic levels

Tourism takes off: Montreal at pre-pandemic levels A new report says Montreal has finally returned to pre-pandemic levels for tourism.

Midway through the tourist season, Tourisme Montréal reports numbers on par with the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization says hotel occupancy rates in the city are now at pre-pandemic levels, with an average of nearly 80 per cent, while hotel capacity has increased by 5 per cent.

As usual, visitors from the U.S. and France make up the majority of tourists in Montreal, but there's been a 10 per cent increase in visitors from other countries, notably the U.K., Mexico and Brazil.

Tourisme Montréal maintains that the city's summer festivals and events generate high visitor numbers.

Additionally, since the start of the summer season, Montreal has hosted more than 80 business and sporting events, figures similar to those for the same period last year.

Forecasts are optimistic for the rest of the season, with a 6 per cent increase in total visitors expected through to October.