A report is suggesting that 2016 is shaping up to be a record year for tourism in Montreal.
Figures obtained by La Presse show that for the first time, the city could attract more than 10 million tourists, including visitors from elsewhere in Quebec and in the rest of Canada.
It would be the first time tourism officials will have recorded 10 million visitors to the city. Last year, the city fell just short of that figure — 9.6 million visitors.
Tourism Montreal says that 20 years ago, that figure was closer to 5 million.
Most of the visitors to Montreal come from the United States, of course, but the bureau recorded more than a 200 per cent increase in the number of Chinese tourists — a result, perhaps, of direct flights being set up between Montreal and Beijing.
Meanwhile, it has also seen double-digit increases in the numbers of German and Spanish tourists.
Hotel occupancy rates, meantime, were well above 85 per cent in the period between May and September of this year.
A favorable exchange rate, combined with Montreal's reputation as a city for students and a city for fine dining, are being cited as factors.