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  #461  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 1:00 PM
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I've always found Quebec City a nice destination for a two, perhaps three (tops), day getaway. I don't see most Europeans being dazzled by its "old world" qualities, although the colonial aspect could interest some. It would be fairly high on my list of "most improved" Canadian cities over the past thirty or forty years.
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  #462  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 1:50 PM
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In my experience Quebec City seems popular enough with European tourists, including the French. Not saying they were necessarily dazzled by it, though.

I do think there is a curiosity on the part of quite a few people (e.g. the French) to see what "the French" ended up doing and creating in a North American setting.

I know that if a couple thousand francophone Canadians migrated to South America a few hundred years ago and built a society there that today had hundreds of thousands or millions of people, I'd certainly be curious to check out what things are like there.
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  #463  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 2:09 PM
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Every European acquaintance (I have hundreds, from my career) invariably loves Montreal, for the unique urban fabric and culture forged over centuries from the old/new, North America/Europe, French/English/Allophone.

Fewer have been to Quebec City (there are much fewer direct flights to European destinations), but the few that have, also speak glowingly about the place. "Charming" (or the French/German/Italian/Dutch, etc., equivalent thereof) is the word they use most.

Banff/Jasper and Vancouver Island are other favorites of my European network.

None have been to Maple Creek.

Last edited by MolsonExport; Jul 9, 2020 at 4:44 PM.
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  #464  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 2:21 PM
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It's all very anecdotal, but all my European friends were charmed by Quebec City and mostly said that it has a unique vibe. The setting has very few equivalent in Europe with the St-Lawrence river being so mighty. One of my friend for Pragues even said that the Château Frontenac dominating the basse-ville and the terrasse Dufferin was one of the most romantic sight he ever saw. The topography of the city is a gem in itself. And then, there are the fortifications. So let's not be so quick to think that European don't get a kick out of Quebec City. To be fair, one of my friends (from Dijon) didn't want to spend so much time there because it reminded her too much of her hometown and she was looking for something else. Of course, Montreal did it for her.
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  #465  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 2:22 PM
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Montreal has a "looks like America feels like Europe" thing that is fascinating for a lot of people over here, and not just francophones.
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  #466  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 2:24 PM
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Good point from Martin about the river. We are used to it, but Europeans instinctively feel the "new world scale" of things like the Saint Lawrence in a way we might overlook. To see such a city in the midst of a broad American landscape is very interesting.
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  #467  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 3:34 PM
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Originally Posted by kool maudit View Post
Montreal has a "looks like America feels like Europe" thing that is fascinating for a lot of people over here, and not just francophones.
"North Americanity" tends to be overwhelming and all-encompassing.

Montreal has the rare quality of reminding you at every turn that there is something else out there, even if the city sits right on the edge of the belly of the NA beast.
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  #468  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 6:30 PM
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Originally Posted by kool maudit View Post
Good point from Martin about the river. We are used to it, but Europeans instinctively feel the "new world scale" of things like the Saint Lawrence in a way we might overlook.
Amusingly, the opposite happened to me as a kid when I started traveling. ("That's the Rhine?!?")

https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.57331...7i16384!8i8192

I would guess that's not uncommon either...
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  #469  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 6:35 PM
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Not saying they were necessarily dazzled by it, though.
Pretty sure everyone who came here also visited it (I recall the last few did for sure, because I remember explaining where to park for free in the St-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood, a few blocks away from the walled town) because it's a pretty obvious destination, being the capital and oldest city.

I just didn't sell it the way I would to a North American tourist, as I didn't want to disappoint anyone. It's definitely not as exotic for an European visitor.

It's pretty clear that the relatives charms and pros/cons of Quebec City vs Montreal have different weights whether we're talking about a visiting Frenchman or a visiting Oklahoman.
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  #470  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 6:40 PM
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Originally Posted by lio45 View Post
Amusingly, the opposite happened to me as a kid when I started traveling. ("That's the Rhine?!?")

https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.57331...7i16384!8i8192

I would guess that's not uncommon either...
It's not the St. Lawrence but the Rhine does have some more impressive stretches than what it looks like at Strasbourg:

https://www.google.com/search?q=rude...h=722&dpr=1.25
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  #471  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 8:16 PM
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But that aside, saying Quebec City is "just like Europe" or Quebec is "like France" really does it a disservice. Do people say Boston is "Just like Ireland", does Macau market itself as "Portugal in Asia"?
You have to admit that a big part of what makes Macau interesting is the Portguese element. I mean, I don't know the stats but I'm going hazard a guess and say that Macau blows neighbourhing Zhuhai in the PRC out of the water when it comes to tourism numbers. There is something about those types of places which blend cultures that can be very unique and appealing for tourists.
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  #472  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 8:28 PM
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You have to admit that a big part of what makes Macau interesting is the Portguese element. I mean, I don't know the stats but I'm going hazard a guess and say that Macau blows neighbourhing Zhuhai in the PRC out of the water when it comes to tourism numbers. There is something about those types of places which blend cultures that can be very unique and appealing for tourists.
Well, having spent time in both I can safely say Macau is nothing like Portugal save for some for some random bits of calçada portuguesa. The culture there is exclusively Chinese and Macanese - practically no one speaks Portuguese save for some lawyers and government workers perhaps. The reason tourism numbers are so high is due to it now being Vegas on steroids, oh and for those historically minded Macau is about 500 years older than Zhuhai which basically did not exist until the 1980s. It'd be like comparing Quebec City to Laval.
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  #473  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 8:52 PM
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Originally Posted by CivicBlues View Post
But that aside, saying Quebec City is "just like Europe" or Quebec is "like France" really does it a disservice.
It has a lot to do about marketing the city to American and Asian tourists. It's a no-brainer and it makes a lot of sense. The result of that T&L is a good indication that it works.
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  #474  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 8:59 PM
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It has a lot to do about marketing the city to American and Asian tourists. It's a no-brainer and it makes a lot of sense. The result of that T&L is a good indication that it works.
In all honesty though, Quebec tourism people (for either the province or the city) don't actually do that. By this I mean they don't say that it feels European or like France.

Some travel writers do, though.
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  #475  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2020, 9:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
In all honesty though, Quebec tourism people (for either the province or the city) don't actually do that. By this I mean they don't say that it feels European or like France.

Some travel writers do, though.
They used to do that a lot though, but it's true that they changed their approach in the last one or two decades (Montreal has so much more to offer than a less costly alternative to Europe).

But travel writers are often invited, all expenses paid, by the tourist bureau and I'm sure that they are not discouraged to perpetuate the cliché.
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  #476  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2020, 3:23 PM
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Originally Posted by CivicBlues View Post
Well, having spent time in both I can safely say Macau is nothing like Portugal save for some for some random bits of calçada portuguesa. The culture there is exclusively Chinese and Macanese - practically no one speaks Portuguese save for some lawyers and government workers perhaps. The reason tourism numbers are so high is due to it now being Vegas on steroids, oh and for those historically minded Macau is about 500 years older than Zhuhai which basically did not exist until the 1980s. It'd be like comparing Quebec City to Laval.
You make it sound like Macanese and Portuguese are completely disconnected... in the same way that Quebec is similar but different to what one sees in France, Macanese culture didn't just materialize out of nowhere. The older streets and squares are very different than what one sees in nearby HK or in the PRC. The point is that Macau offers something distinctive that, at least until casino gambling exploded 15 years ago, was its tourism calling card.
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  #477  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2020, 4:37 PM
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You make it sound like Macanese and Portuguese are completely disconnected... in the same way that Quebec is similar but different to what one sees in France, Macanese culture didn't just materialize out of nowhere. The older streets and squares are very different than what one sees in nearby HK or in the PRC. The point is that Macau offers something distinctive that, at least until casino gambling exploded 15 years ago, was its tourism calling card.
I'm a big fan of Macau - I want to go back for those pork chop sandwiches!
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  #478  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2020, 6:34 PM
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Tourism in the Okanagan has bounced back in a big way as people vacation in their own backyard. But yet again, CERB is getting some blame for labour shortages:

High occupancy rates for Okanagan hotels: ‘It has rebounded beyond expectations’
By Jules Knox Global News
Posted July 9, 2020

Business is back. Okanagan hotel rooms emptied by the coronavirus pandemic are now filling up with guests.

“In all honesty, the recovery has been way quicker than what we ever anticipated,” said Brent Lavery, Eldorado Resort’s general manager. “We’re glad to say that it has rebounded beyond expectations.”...

...BC Hotel Association president and CEO Ingrid Jarrett said that on weekends, vacancy rates throughout the Okanagan are sitting at roughly 70 to 80 per cent.

However, some hotels are seeing single-digit occupancy rates mid-week, she added....

....The BC Hotel Association believes that the employee shortage is partly because of the financial support CERB offers to people who might otherwise be looking for work.

“We have some hotels that are experiencing very high occupancy, and they literally are operating on 50 per cent of the employees they would have before, which is a really difficult way to operate right now,” Jarrett said.

Both Sekhon and Lavery said that they haven’t had to drop their rates to attract guests....


https://globalnews.ca/news/7160676/h...s-coronavirus/
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  #479  
Old Posted Jul 11, 2020, 2:27 PM
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....The BC Hotel Association believes that the employee shortage is partly because of the financial support CERB offers to people who might otherwise be looking for work.

“We have some hotels that are experiencing very high occupancy, and they literally are operating on 50 per cent of the employees they would have before, which is a really difficult way to operate right now,” Jarrett said.
What happened to the employees they had in December which they put on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program?

I didn't see a single word in that article that they were short seasonal staff only. If they fired their full-time staff in April and are struggling to get them back now then that's kinda on them. Cleaning rooms part-time without knowing your schedule at the start of the day is a terrible way to live; shouldn't need to call 5 different hotels in the morning to see if they need staff for that day; not surprised employees in that situation don't want to go back. With luck, many used their time look at other industries with more reliable day-to-day employment.
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  #480  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2020, 12:00 PM
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Hey guys, I'm looking to do a weekend trip within Ontario. I just wanted to confirm that hotels are open right??
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