Gaspé has high hopes for the cruise sector

(Originally published in TOURISM)

Radio-Canada reports that by 2010, the town of Gaspé hopes to welcome cruise ships with a capacity of between 1500 and 3000 passengers. The ships currently making Gaspé a port of call rarely carry more that 400 to 500 passengers.

The Gaspé region harbours a number of potential draws for tourists who go on cruises, according to the executive director of Gaspé's visitors and conventions bureau Stéphane Sainte-Croix: "Our national parks are major assets in our tourism offering, as is the presence of the Port of Gaspé, which is open year-round and provides berthing space for sizeable ships."

The report mentions how the quality of port infrastructure could be a determinant in Tourisme Québec's upcoming choice of ports of call for the province. The intent, according to Gaspé Chamber of Commerce director Julie Bouffard, "is to be able to provide a variety of suitable programs, towns and ports that are market-ready for the cruise sector."

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