Introduction

1Tourism is a branch of geography that has evolved significantly over its relatively short history and has not really taken form academically in its modern sense until the 1980s.  Its close associations with other forms of geography such as transportation, accommodation, economic, etc. and have shaped the discipline. Today it is tourism itself that shapes many sectors and segments both academically and socially. So much so, that we constantly have to remind ourselves to be mindful of our locals, and that they too benefit from tourism resources. In Quebec, the evolution and growth of tourism has largely mirrored that outside the province, with some added nuances related to the province’s unique priorities and offerings.

 1. Early beginnings: geography before tourism

2Early forms of tourism geography in Quebec emerged from environmental and economic geography.

3One of the earliest incarnations of tourism geography in Quebec is most from an environmental lens, largely influenced by the work of Denis Brière. Brière viewed tourism holistically from a true geographer’s lens (Brière,1961): that of a land-use planner and environmentalist with a particular interest and focus on forestry. These areas are of particular interest in a Canadian context due to the natural habitat, and has a natural extension into a tourism context as both environmental protection and economic benefits can be achieved through the involvement of tourism. In fact, Cazelais et al. (2000) argue that Brière’s work marks the latest comprehensive research on the geography of tourism in Quebec, dating back to the 1960s.

4Richard Lapierre is another early influential geographer to the tourism geography discipline in Quebec. In his work, Lapierre (1959) focuses on understanding the reasons behind understanding the advantageous tourism situation in the city of Montreal, rendering it a tourism centre in the province. This analysis is an economic one, and with an eye towards increasing visitation and spending in the city. 

5Another early tourism geographer with an economic focus is Marcel Bélanger. One of the earliest notable works on tourism geography in Quebec stems from an economic perspective and is a result of the work of Marcel Bélanger. Bélanger had a significant influence on the evolution of geography of tourism in Quebec. One of his most influential works is a book entitled “Le tourism: developpement et aménagement” (1985). It is worth noting that both of the earliest forms of tourism geography remain the most prominent forms today.

2. Current topics

6Tourism in Quebec today, like tourism elsewhere has grown to reflect wider societal issues and concerns. Some of these issues are more pronounced in the context of the province, while others are or importance because they are significant to broader goals. In order to shed light upon the key issues of significance to tourism geography in Quebec the authors have reviewed topics published by the Transat Chair in at UQAM from 1993 to current. The vast majority of work published by the Transat Chair at UQAM focuses on the Quebec context. Meanwhile, while Téoros a French-language tourism journal based out of UQAM is home to an abundance of influential works, it’s focus is on the Francophone world, and has relatively limited publications with a specifically Quebecois focus.

7The Transat Chair at UQAM houses a total of 114 publications. These publications are categorized by topic in Figure 1. Some publications are categorized in more than one topic as fit.

2.1. Outdoor Tourism

8It is found that by far the most published topic relates to outdoor tourism. Out of the 114 publications, 34 (30%) fall under this category. This is a topic that has always been of important significance to Quebec since the very early days of the Transat Chair, with its first mention in 1997 through a study on cycle tourism. As shown in Figure 2, cycle tourism goes on to grow in significance along with camping, adventure tourism, and skiing and snowshoeing. It is worth noting that out of the 34 publications on outdoor tourism, 11 relate specifically to adventure tourism. From this brief assessment, the importance of outdoor tourism to the Quebec offering cannot be overstated.

2.2. Climate Change

9Climate change is another topic of global importance that has significant implications for tourism geography in Quebec in particular. Many of Quebec’s tourism resources rely on its unique climate, with many a particular focus on winter sports, and other year-round nature-based activities. In 2015, the Transat Chair of Tourism at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) focused on the implications of 2 degrees of warming on Quebec’s tourism industry. The focus of much of this discussion is on threats to infrastructure, heavy rains, freeze-thaw cycles, and permafrost thaw. However, while it is worth noting that climate change is critical to the success of tourism in Quebec in the long-term, particularly as outdoor tourism is such key focus, less than 4% of the Transat Chair’s studies relate to climate change. However, Ouranos, an innovation centre funded by the Province of Quebec, has an arm dedicated to tourism with an arm dedicated to supporting tourism business sectors affected by climate change.

2.3. Economy and finance

10Studies that relate to the economic and financial aspects of tourism have always been significant in the Quebec context, as is often the case. Based on our analysis of the Transat Chair’s publications, 15% of the studies relate to economy and finance. These studies cover a wide variety of scales from provincial, to regional, and business-level. In fact, the focus of climate change impacts on tourism are largely spurred by the motivation to preserve and grow this industry due to its significant economic contribution to the province. Further, as the tourism industry continues to overcome the challenges posed by COVID restrictions, it is likely that this will be reflected in an increased return to studies that focus on highlighting and forecasting economic and financial aspects of the industry.

2.4. Transportation

11Transportation is another aspect that is of importance to the geography of tourism in Quebec. A recurring theme around transportation is improving road infrastructure, and inter-provincial travel. This is likely a result of the harsher climates of northern Quebec, where many of the regions earmarked for development can be found. For these communities improving accessibility is key to tourism development.

2.5. Indigenous tourism

12In Quebec, and across Canada, historically discriminatory policies were implemented to marginalize and hinder the development of indigenous groups. Today measures are being taken to acknowledge this shameful past, and to enable indigenous groups to celebrate their traditional language and culture. Tourism has been recognized for its value in enabling economic development while highlighting the unique aspects of different indigenous groups. As such, indigenous tourism is an important focus of tourism geography in Quebec today. In fact, a Caroline Desbiens, from the University of Laval, currently holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Heritage and Tourism. Desbiens’s work focuses on how indigenous tourism can generate positive effects for Indigenous communities. This is a topic that historically has not seen much attention in the literature but with increased interest in linguistic minority communities within Quebec, along with the work of Desbiens, this could be an area of significant growth.

13Other areas of considerable interest include innovation within the industry, both from a technological aspect in terms of employing technologies to improve the service sector both online and in hospitality, a focus on local tourism products and supporting local communities, and tourism marketing and development. As show in Table 1, these topics, among others, were the focus of various Transat Chair “lunches” over the past decade.

Table 1. UQAM Transat Chair in Tourism Tourist Lunches Topics

Season	Topics
2020-2021	Between challenges and business opportunities
2019-2020	Understanding the DNA of Montreal's tourism product Challenges of the urban tourist offices of the Francophonie
2017-2018	Innovate or die
2016-2017	Take the “local” turn
2015-2016	Climate change: what impact on tourism activities?
2014-2015	Tourism and territorial marketing: renewed attractiveness

Conclusion

14It is interesting to note that not much has changed in terms of the priorities and directions of geography of tourism over the last two decades. A review of Cazelais et al.’s (2000) seminal text “L’espace touristique”, reveals that the foci remain almost unchanged. In fact, given the two significant forces facing tourism: Covid-19 and climate change, it is likely that we will see more of a returning to its roots- a focus on environment and economy, back to the works of Brière, Lapierre and Bélanger.

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