The follies of Donald Trump smile at the Richelieu manor and the shops of the Charlevoix region who have never seen as many Ontario tourists as this summer.
“The reason why, this year, there are so many Ontarians, they tell us, is that they do not go to the United States,” explains the director general of the establishment, Emmanuel Perot.
Emmanuel Perot, Managing Director of Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu at La Malbaie, in Charlevoix, is delighted with an increase in traffic because of the political context with the United States.
Photo Louis Deschenes
Fairmont The Richelieu manor heads for a record year. The occupancy rate has been far beyond 82% since the start of summer, which represents an increase of up to 10% compared to last summer.
It is all the businesses of Charlevoix that take advantage of it, as the many license plates of Ontario on roads, near shops and tourist attractions.
“It’s absolutely impressive, and that we didn’t have it last year […] When we see traffic on the roads, I went to Baie-Saint-Paul, a few weeks ago, we believe ourselves in Saint-Tropez! ” Laughs the man, wink at his native France.
“We don’t like Trump”
Ontario tourists met on the spot mentioned various reasons for having chosen Charlevoix as a vacation destination, but a point returned regularly: the discontent against the American president.
The residents of Ottawa Hélène Cusson and Lawrence Baslaw spend their holidays in Charlevoix and the American political context weighed in the scale when the time came to choose a travel destination.
Photo Louis Deschenes
“We love tourism, but we don’t like Trump,” said Lawrence Baslaw, an Ottawa resident, before taking the golf start.
Ontario and its spouse do not really see the interest of traveling to the United States in the current context when the president has often mentioned that Canada should become 51e État.
“There are lots of beautiful places to see […] We are not going to go to the United States until we felt more comfortable with all of this, ”adds Baslaw.
Another vacationer questioned near the Casino de Charlevoix admits that Trump’s positions annoy the Canadians.
“We are traveling to Canada this summer. [Charlevoix] It is a beautiful place. We have seen friends in Quebec too, ”says Daniel Smith, an Oshawa resident.
According to Emmanuel Perot, the presence of Ontarians is also noticed elsewhere in the provinces, especially in the Quebec region. Several tourists mentioned that they had stopped at Château Frontenac and the Montmorency fall.
Americans too
One of the reasons that also explains the increase in traffic at the Richelieu manor is the Americans.
The director general notes that visitors from the United States have doubled compared to last year, while specifying that the Americans are a small part of its customers, compared to Montreal and Quebec.
“Those who come, they apologize [des frasques de Trump]because they love Canadians. “
Besides, the Americans encountered by The newspaper In front of the Richelieu manor were all friendly, but refused to speak with an open microphone when Trump’s name was mentioned.
“During the holidays, we avoid talking about politics,” says a father, a smirk, who came from the Massachusetts to stay in Charlevoix.