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Billboard Tourism

A man, a woman and a child observe a map of the Gaspésie. The map is approximately 4 feet high by 8 feet wide. Located outdoors near the Matane lighthouse, it reads: Ville de Matane ‘Métropole de la Gaspésie.

Postcard

City of Matane Métropolis of Gaspésie, about 1960

Les Amis des Jardins de Métis Collection

There is often a forest of billboards at the entrance to many cities and towns. On many scenic routes, billboards have vanished, banned by cities and towns to eliminate visual scars in the landscape.

But billboards remain an essential tool to communicate information to visitors. In Quebec, regulations control the installation of signs (30 metres from the highways in most instances) and the size and positioning of French and English (English has to be 50% smaller or less than the text in French).

But in the days before regulations, it was often a free for all – let the biggest sign win!