Montreal beats out Toronto for catching world's eye as tourist destination

[Admiral Beez]

If you think all that is happening in Toronto is business, I shall make a bold statement: you don't know the city. .

But the point isn't that we don't have great things to do and see here, but that not enough people outside know out them or care sufficiently to make the trip.

Let's see: biggest or second biggest film festival in the world (happening right now), summer cultural festivals that similarly draw millions, a highly active music scene (of all stripes), tangent multicultural element, a restaurant scene that blows most cities on the continent (and beyond) out of the water, and that's to say nothing of actual neighbourhoods that make the city as successful as it is.

Again, it all sounds great, but go to any border city in the USA, plus Europe or Asia and ask them which North American city is known for the things you listed, and most will not guess Toronto.

What I've never understood is why Toronto doesn't play up its British history more. Quebec certainly pushes its French culture and background despite their strong multicultural population.

 

[RJR123]

I'd have to challenge that. Montreal has more than its fair share of ugly slab being built as we speak (including some projects straight out of 60s), and the institutional architecture has not kept up pace with Toronto. I fail to see where this quality is coming from, but it is hardly coming from contemporary architecture in Montreal. Montreal does have some impressive historic architecture, but certainly nothing to put it head and shoulders above Toronto.



If you think all that is happening in Toronto is business, I shall make a bold statement: you don't know the city.

Let's see: biggest or second biggest film festival in the world (happening right now), summer cultural festivals that similarly draw millions, a highly active music scene (of all stripes), tangent multicultural element, a restaurant scene that blows most cities on the continent (and beyond) out of the water, and that's to say nothing of actual neighbourhoods that make the city as successful as it is.

Obviously Dalapul doesn't get out much. I travel to Montreal twice monthly for work and, as I stated in a previous post, outside of old Montreal (which is a great example of preserving one's past) the city is not architecturally interesting at all. The CBD in Montreal looks like any typical North American city, Sainte Catherine could pass for Yonge Street, and the "hip" neighbourhoods such as Plateau are matched in Toronto by cool 'hoods such as the Annex and Riverdale.
Really, it's just outdated, stale stereotypes that fuel posts such as Dalapul.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I really don't give a sow's teat for Montreal, having driven through that dreary place on my runs to and from Fredericton for years, and stayed overnight in a few downtown hotels there. For historic and European charm in Quebec, it's the old city of Quebec that a tourist wants to see, IMO.

 

[Tewder]

I don't really think the point here is to bash Montreal. It's a great city with fantastic things to do and see. But it does have a way easier sell as far as marketing to tourists goes, that 'frech' thing is a real no-brainer! Isn't the province's ad campaign 'Say Bonjour Quebec' or something inane like that? Still, it works. Formidable!

 

[Tewder]

it all sounds great, but go to any border city in the USA, plus Europe or Asia and ask them which North American city is known for the things you listed, and most will not guess Toronto.

Well I'm not sure who you're mixing with, but when I was travelling in the States this summer I met lots of people who were really excited about coming to T.O., and who'd heard all kinds of good things about the city. I was shocked.

What I've never understood is why Toronto doesn't play up its British history more. Quebec certainly pushes its French culture and background despite their strong multicultural population.

I do agree with you. Many Americans who travel here perceive a big difference between Toronto and the States. Believe it or not, they find Toronto to have a fairly 'European' feel to it, in a British/Anglo way, rather than a continental way. Still, I think most Torontonians are so blind to this, maybe because we've been trying so hard for so long to distance ourselves from our past in our dogmatic embracing of multiculturalism. Maybe now that we've achieved it, we can step back from it a little and understand that Toronto is more than Epcot Centre.

 

[unimaginative2]

Having now lived in Montreal, I can definitely say without hesitation that it's a much more attractive city for tourists. Even so, I think both Montreal and Toronto share a big problem: many tourists completely miss the best parts of the cities. While Toronto's best bits are probably around Queen Street, College Street, the Beach, the Danforth and a whole bunch of other little places, most tourists remain glued to the waterfront, Yorkville and maybe now the Distillery. In Montreal it's the same story. The city's got an amazing number of extremely vibrant neighbourhood streets (quite a few more than Toronto, especially per capita) in the Plateau Mont Royal, the Mile End, Westmount, and dozens of other places. There are also the extremely long and consistently vibrant streets like St Denis and St Laurent. So few tourists, especially ones from English Canada, ever set foot there. They pretty much never leave Old Montreal and the St. Catherine/Rene Levesque corridor which, while interesting for a little while, hardly show the city at its best (though the old city is getting better).

That being said, Montreal does a much better job of marketing itself. People from all over go to visit the "Underground City." Seriously! I've been asked directions more than once. It's even in all the tourist brochures. This despite the fact that the PATH is far more impressive than Montreal's disconnected system with many empty passageways (the rather impressive Promenades de la Cathedrale notwithstanding). Equally bizarre is the absolute obsession with Montreal's decidedly unimpressive Chinatown. They just don't seem to get how attractive their "ordinary" neighbourhoods are.

 

[syn]

But the point isn't that we don't have great things to do and see here, but that not enough people outside know out them or care sufficiently to make the trip.Again, it all sounds great, but go to any border city in the USA, plus Europe or Asia and ask them which North American city is known for the things you listed, and most will not guess Toronto.

What I've never understood is why Toronto doesn't play up its British history more. Quebec certainly pushes its French culture and background despite their strong multicultural population.

Playing up it's British past isn't something that would work because it's not really evident in the superficial touristy kind of way (or almost any way, for that matter). A tourist going to Quebec won't really stop and think that it isn't the same as France - to them it's French and it's exotic. Come to Toronto and everyone speaks English with a brand of North American accent. There's nothing really exotic about it.

 

[syn]

Multiculturalism is not a tourist draw. Perhaps we have slightly more and better exotic restaurants than similar sized cities, but where's our Little Manila? Where's Little Somalia?

They're coming.

I think there is a "Little Somalia" area...can't quite remember where though.

 

[syn]

Having now lived in Montreal, I can definitely say without hesitation that it's a much more attractive city for tourists. Even so, I think both Montreal and Toronto share a big problem: many tourists completely miss the best parts of the cities. While Toronto's best bits are probably around Queen Street, College Street, the Beach, the Danforth and a whole bunch of other little places, most tourists remain glued to the waterfront, Yorkville and maybe now the Distillery. In Montreal it's the same story. The city's got an amazing number of extremely vibrant neighbourhood streets (quite a few more than Toronto, especially per capita) in the Plateau Mont Royal, the Mile End, Westmount, and dozens of other places. There are also the extremely long and consistently vibrant streets like St Denis and St Laurent. So few tourists, especially ones from English Canada, ever set foot there. They pretty much never leave Old Montreal and the St. Catherine/Rene Levesque corridor which, while interesting for a little while, hardly show the city at its best (though the old city is getting better).

That being said, Montreal does a much better job of marketing itself. People from all over go to visit the "Underground City." Seriously! I've been asked directions more than once. It's even in all the tourist brochures. This despite the fact that the PATH is far more impressive than Montreal's disconnected system with many empty passageways (the rather impressive Promenades de la Cathedrale notwithstanding). Equally bizarre is the absolute obsession with Montreal's decidedly unimpressive Chinatown. They just don't seem to get how attractive their "ordinary" neighbourhoods are.

Unfortunately a lot of tourists just want to see attractions - they aren't that interested in exploring neighbourhoods.

 

[allabootmatt]

Dixon Road is where the Somalians are.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Unless an ethnic area like Little Somalia is brash and touristy - and large enough to be whole neighbourhood, not just one ethnic mini-mart and 2 ethnic take out joints - it's irrelevant. The simple fact that Toronto is home to so many cultures doesn't have the slightest relevance to tourists unless their presence is manifest in things to see and do in a place that can be marked on a map.

 

[BobBob]

Is popular tourism really important for us? Sure, it would help rake in the cash, but it's not like Toronto is poor and in dire need of new industries, especially ones that, in my opinion, aren't without their costs.

As others have pointed out, there seems to be an inverse relation in livability and touristyness. Tourists as a group are mainly interested in things that are brash, stereotypical, obvious - things that would have no value to people living here. I cringe every time I pass by one of those "Yonge - the Longest Street in the World!" signs. Turning Spadina into a more touristy "Chinatown", for example, would probably, at least in my opinion, greatly diminish it as a genuine cultural node.

In my view there are different kinds of "tourisms". Attracting film-lovers to our festival, cultural/urban explorers to our vibrant neighbourhoods, high-culture connoiseurs to our museums and theatres is one thing, and it's great. But trying to think up contrived attractions to appeal to Joe Blow and his kids isn't necessarily going to make us better off at all.

 

[passthedutchie]

Having now lived in Montreal, I can definitely say without hesitation that it's a much more attractive city for tourists. Even so, I think both Montreal and Toronto share a big problem: many tourists completely miss the best parts of the cities. While Toronto's best bits are probably around Queen Street, College Street, the Beach, the Danforth and a whole bunch of other little places, most tourists remain glued to the waterfront, Yorkville and maybe now the Distillery. In Montreal it's the same story. The city's got an amazing number of extremely vibrant neighbourhood streets (quite a few more than Toronto, especially per capita) in the Plateau Mont Royal, the Mile End, Westmount, and dozens of other places. There are also the extremely long and consistently vibrant streets like St Denis and St Laurent. So few tourists, especially ones from English Canada, ever set foot there. They pretty much never leave Old Montreal and the St. Catherine/Rene Levesque corridor which, while interesting for a little while, hardly show the city at its best (though the old city is getting better).

That being said, Montreal does a much better job of marketing itself. People from all over go to visit the "Underground City." Seriously! I've been asked directions more than once. It's even in all the tourist brochures. This despite the fact that the PATH is far more impressive than Montreal's disconnected system with many empty passageways (the rather impressive Promenades de la Cathedrale notwithstanding). Equally bizarre is the absolute obsession with Montreal's decidedly unimpressive Chinatown. They just don't seem to get how attractive their "ordinary" neighbourhoods are.

Well said, I travel to Montreal for business and pleasure five to ten times a year. I share many of your views, especially on the PATH being better than Montreal's underground and the unimpressive Chinatown.

Montreal has its problems with tourism. They are getting a bad rep in the US due to vandalism and theft of American cars this summer. Did they end up losing any big events because of that??

But I found Montreal to be booming with tourism while I was there a few weeks this summer. Especially Just for Laughs, it was amazing this year and seemed to have something for everyone!

 

[passthedutchie]

Unfortunately a lot of tourists just want to see attractions - they aren't that interested in exploring neighbourhoods.

Well than what is going to attract the tourists to Toronto?? The CN Tower? It's getting less impressive each year compared with some of the global skycrapers near completion. Oh, but now it glows!

Me thinks Toronto should become a province and re-open the Turks and Caicos debate.

 

[unimaginative2]

Theft and other petty crime is a really serious problem in Montreal. I felt unsafe in a way that I never have in Toronto. That could be because I was robbed twice in one summer, and every single one of my coworkers had multiple tales of break-ins and theft.

Montreal is amazing, though. It's incredibly vibrant, and it's spread all over the city. It feels like a much bigger city than Toronto (though by contrast Montreal's suburbs feel minuscule compared with the 905). It's packed with people, and it seems to attract massive numbers to its endless festivals.