Tourism Industry in the Pontiac looking for solutions

Tourism Industry in the Pontiac looking for solutions

The tourism industry across Quebec has suffered a considerable impact in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The various stakeholders of the MRC Pontiac met via video conference Monday to discuss this situation and discuss some concerns and the various solutions surrounding a possible revival of tourism in the Pontiac.

For the various stakeholders in the tourism sector in the Pontiac, the observation is clear, it will be necessary to show imagination and resilience to ensure the revival of the industry in the region. The owner of Esprit Rafting and initializer of the meeting Jim Coffey talked about the shared concerns expressed by all.

A tourist entrepreneur in the Baie James region, Sylvain Paquin, believes that it will be difficult to welcome tourists in the same way as it was done before. However, he expressed his certain that people will “thirst for nature, wide open spaces, and to feel life they’re in the forest”. In his opinion, it will therefore be necessary to build on this kind of experience and perhaps integrate a historical component to interest and attract tourists.

The Former President of Tourism Pontiac and Owner of the Rafting Company HorizonX, Martin Bertrand agrees with Sylvain Paquin. According to him, people will want to live experiences of nature. He mentioned that members of the tourism industry in the Pontiac have already learned to work together.

Several aspects of health security are being considered for a potential opening of the Tourism industry. Some restaurants are trying to rearrange their site according to the new safety instructions, while others hope to rearrange their facilities so that potential tourists can wash their hands on site.

The full interview with Jim Coffey is available here.

The full interivew with Sylvain Paquin is available here.

The full interview with Martin Bertand available here.