Anne-Marie Lemire and Léon Courvil, co-owners, Léon Courville Winemaker (Eastern Townships)

Our services : “Tastings are allowed again. Guided tours in the fields take place every day at 2 p.m. Our physical store is still closed, but we welcome customers on the covered terrace where they can place their orders.”

Our 2020 season: “Customers are there. The local shopping movement has worked in our favor. Sales on our online store have increased by 300% compared to the same period last year. Since we reopened, these same customers are coming back on site. The losses we have are mainly concentrated in events and group bookings that had to be canceled.”

The COVID context : “Mother Nature was on our side. In the spring, the snow melted very quickly. We then started working in the fields. We managed to recruit a lot of Quebecers, which allowed us to get a month ahead. When our Mexican workers arrived, with the delay related to the mandatory quarantine, we had not accumulated any delay. We were lucky!”

Philippe Ouellette, owner, Rafting Momentum (Outaouais)

Our services: “We offer packages for a day of rafting on the Ottawa River. Included are two meals, body surfing (swimming in the rapids) and rock jumping. The day ends at a campfire and there are camping or cottage rental options as well.”

The COVID context: “We opened on June 20, seven weeks after our usual date. This caused a delay in training our guides. Fortunately, veterans came back to lend us a hand. We had to reduce our capacity on buses and rafting trips. The health measures caused additional expenses for transportation, labor and equipment purchases. For example, all reservations were concentrated in three weeks so I needed more administrative employees to meet the demand.”

The 2020 season: “People are there! We will probably surpass our numbers from July last year. Normally, 85% of our clientele is made up of English-speaking Ontarians. This summer, there are a lot of Quebecers who answered the call to encourage the tourism industry. My only regret is that we are known for pushing the experience a little further, but we must avoid capsizing the boats as much as possible and favor self-rescue to prevent groups and guides from mixing too much.”

Éléonore Macle, Vice-President, Intermiel (Laurentians)

Our services: "Guided tours allow you to discover the world of bees three times a day from Wednesday to Sunday. It is possible to see the hive, to better understand the importance of pollination and bees in our environment and to discover the different products derived from the bee. Honey and spirits tastings are also offered. People can enjoy the site and the animals and picnic on site by bringing blankets and chairs."

The COVID effect : “We usually receive 200 schoolchildren per day from May to June, so we had a lot of losses in this area. On the other hand, our online sales exploded in March and April. From the National Day, we were able to start the tourist season at 50% of our usual capacity. We are respecting the measures by admitting far fewer people into the rooms. However, the mini-farm and the play areas are closed until further notice.”

2020 Season : “We are hopeful that Quebecers will be there in the coming weeks to come and discover our family business. And we are already receiving a great response after the launch of our honey gin.”

Rancel Aguila Dopico and Jessica Salas, co-owners, Aventure Mille-Îles (Laval)

Our services: “We offer kayak, canoe, rowboat, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) and rabaska rentals. We also have five 10-seater donut-shaped boats, but in the context of COVID, we have reduced their capacity to 6. Visitors can prepare a meal on the water since the boat is equipped with a BBQ. This experience from Wednesday to Sunday with two departures per day is already 90% booked for the summer!”

Our 2020 season : “So far, it’s going very well. We have many new customers. Quebecers want to go out and do activities without going too far. Our proximity to Montreal is an advantage for us. We’ve had people from Sherbrooke, Victoriaville, but also a lot of Laval residents who are discovering the attractions of their area. The weather has been very pleasant so far. The site is well maintained and the islands are beautiful. We see a lot of animals there.”

Our “COVID” measures: “We have reorganized the reception with three registration steps so as not to have too many people in the same place at the same time. Employees wear gloves and masks and must disinfect all equipment and life jackets between each use.”

André Giroux, owner, Ça roule Montréal (Montreal)

Bike Madness: For a few weeks at the beginning of the lockdown, the only activity allowed was cycling. Everything else was closed. So from April to May, my entire fleet of used bikes was sold. That helped us. There was an increase in repairs, but a large part of our clientele comes from office buildings and restaurants in Old Montreal, so it went down to zero. This is the first time in 25 years that I've been forced to reduce my operating hours."

The impact of COVID: “80 to 85% of our turnover is linked to tourist customers. We had a lot of customers from the United States and Europe. All our reservations have been cancelled for the season: schools, guided tours.”

The 2020 season: “I would like Montreal to be recognized as a disaster area for tourism this year. Nothing will happen there. Even if efforts were made to attract people, it would be too late. Old Montreal is a ghost town. The visitors are not there. Fortunately, the wage subsidies have been extended until December. Without this help, I would have closed. I am taking advantage of this hiatus to think about my next season and take stock of my business. I am keeping my staff busy by giving them various mandates in this regard.”

Florence Vitali, Operations Coordinator, Bonjour Nature (Lanaudière)

Our services: "We are a cooperative that brings together tourism businesses in the Lanaudière region. This summer, we are offering a dozen packages 100% geared towards Quebec customers. They include at least two nights and two attractions to visit. Accommodation is at the Auberge du Lac Taureau, the Auberge du Vieux Moulin, in a chalet, a lodge or in pods. It is combined with outings in regional parks, canoe trips or other attractions for couples and families."

The COVID context: "Previously, we offered day packages to international customers including transportation from Montreal. With the closure of the borders, we had to reinvent ourselves. Thanks to the Explore Québec subsidy offered by the government, customers benefit from a 25% discount. The goal is to encourage Quebecers to discover the province using attractive prices."

Post-COVID: “These two-night packages are certainly an offer that we will keep for international customers.”