The prestigious Salon International Tourisme Voyages tourism and travel show took place in Montreal on 20-22 October. More than 400 exhibitors from 100 countries included Poland, represented by the Polish Tourism Organisation International Centre in New York, with the support of the Paris-based POT centre.
The Montreal event attracted 33,000 participants, an excellent achievement considering the specificity of the local tourism market. Poland was strongly represented by the Polish Tourism Organisation International Centre (Zagraniczny Ośrodek Polskiej Organizacji Turystycznej – ZOPOT) in New York, cooperating with its Parisian counterpart. The latter’s assistance was necessary predominantly due to the specificity of the language spoken in the province of Quebec and the need for promotion among tourists from the French-speaking region of Canada.
Other attendees included, i.a. Spain, Greece, Italy, and Germany. The event held in Place Bonaventure was intended both for the public and professionals, many of whom were well acquainted with Poland and the tourist merits of our country.
At the press conference, Tomasz Rudomino, Director of ZOPOT Paris, said, i.a.: “Excellent knowledge of Polish reality, tourist attractions, historical monuments along the UNESCO routes, and our cuisine came as a pleasant surprise”.
“There is a direct connection between Poland and Canada along the Warsaw-Toronto route, but no one finds the trip from Montreal via Paris overly tedious. The flight from Montreal to Paris lasts for not quite six hours and tourists have at their disposal eight flights daily to Warsaw or Kraków. All told this is an excellent option for potential visitors flying to Poland from the province of Quebec”, stressed Director Rudomino. “It is worth mentioning that numerous questions asked about the possibility of staying in Polish health resorts and sanatoria. It seems, therefore, that the Polish Tourism Organisation offer addressed to this market has a considerable chance of becoming an attractive magnet for Canadian tourists and is certainly more competitive than similar Hungarian or Czech propositions”, he added.
