Travel Intentions – the Science of Predicting Tourism and Travel

The annual poll announcing the travel intentions of Quebec travellers has been a spring ritual for decades. The Ministère du tourisme releases data that predicts which regions of the province Quebec tourists and international travellers are likely to visit in the summer months.

Already, in April 1931, the secretary of the Royal Automobile Association of Montreal was asked to telegraph the travel intentions at the Salons d’Autos. His prediction that “visiting Quebec first” would be the “motto for our members this summer” was greeted with enthusiasm by the tourism industry.

Predicting trends and travel habits is an inexact science. This does not prevent travel gurus from forecasting the popularity of Quebec and its most popular regions every year. Nor does it prevent tourism associations from exerting great effort or mobilizing large sums to spend on campaigns to convince travellers to choose their destination over another.

Bon an, mal an (in good years and bad), the Gaspé highway has been one of Quebec’s most popular destinations for summer travellers for decades.