Based on a satisfaction survey - Results from 2011: 99% of tourists would recommend Montréal to their friends and family

MONTREAL, May 23, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Montréal is a good place to visit. That is the conclusion of 94% of visitors to this city, who rated their stay as 7 or more out of 10, with half of those rating it a 9 or higher. After their departure, 99% of leisure tourists and 97% of business tourists said they would recommend Montréal as a destination to their friends and family. This widespread positive perception was discovered through a satisfaction survey of tourists who had spent at least two nights in Montréal, conducted by Tourisme Montréal and the research firm Ipsos.

In an era of cut-throat competition for tourist dollars and increasingly powerful social media, it is vital for Tourisme Montréal to create an accurate profile of its tourists and also find out how its visitors perceive the destination. "By sharing their experiences with friends and family as well as a larger online audience, each and every visitor to Montréal is a potential ambassador for our city. Also, every recommendation can provide exponential benefits, as it influences other tourists in their choice of destination," said the Honorable Charles Lapointe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tourisme Montréal.

Tourisme Montréal used the survey to try and learn how social media have become increasingly involved in each step of the trip, in order to better understand the extent to which tourists are committed to using new technologies.

Part of the survey focuses on what happens afterwards and shows that, when their trip is over, 37% of leisure tourists shared their Montréal experience by uploading photos to social media sites (primarily Facebook), compared with 18% of business tourists. Once back home, 25% of leisure tourists and 18% of business tourists share opinions about their trip on social networks.

The survey ties in with the web-based and social media shift initiated several years ago by the organization, which, in fact, recently launched a mobile site.

In 2011, 7.8 million tourists passed through Montréal. This represents an increase of 1.7% over 2010. Of that number, 56% were from Québec, 21% from the rest of Canada and 23% from the United States or elsewhere in the world. Total tourism spending has been estimated at $2.27 billion in 2011, an increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year.

Sample survey methodology
The online survey was completed by tourists 18 years and older who had stayed at least two nights in Montréal in 2011 as part of a leisure and/or business trip. Of the 15,688 tourists canvassed in Montréal, 4,518 completed the survey, giving a margin of error of 1.5% (with a 95% confidence interval).

The survey was conducted by the Ipsos Descarie research firm, and the results were made available in April 2012. For the survey results summary, go to: http://www.octgm.com/survey-tourist-experience-summary-2011

About Tourisme Montréal
Tourisme Montréal is responsible for providing leadership in the concerted efforts of hospitality and promotion in order to position the destination on leisure and business travel markets. It is also responsible for developing Montréal's tourism product in accordance with the ever-changing conditions of the market. For more information, please visit www.tourisme-montreal.org.

Source:    Tourisme Montréal 

Information:
Alexandra Graveline
Manager - Corporate Public Relations
Tourisme Montréal
514 844-3558
graveline.alexandra@tourisme-Montréal.org