At dawn on Thursday, theExploris One and its 144 passengers will moor at the Paquet wharf.
This fall, under an agreement with the Port of Quebec, three ships will do the same thing, a record number for Lévis.
But the South Shore will not benefit from the windfall that travels with cruise lines. As soon as they touch down, they will board a bus, only to return to Lévis in the evening.
Some will head for Île d’Orléans, others for Montmorency Falls or towards a sugar bush. A large part will hang out in Old Quebec.
But few will stay to enjoy Lévis, its cycle path, its restaurants and its stores.
“Almost everyone is going to Quebec,” laments the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis, Marie-Josée Morency. “It doesn’t pay much.”
Like merchants around the Paquet wharf, who were already sad to see tourists leaving for Quebec in a recent report, Ms. Morency wants Lévis to also benefit from the lucrative spinoffs from cruises.
“Lévis must take his place, and we must work on it immediately.”
— Marie-Josée Morency, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis
However, she does not throw stones at Lévis and its tourism partners for the 2024 season.
“We just told them that the boats were coming at the beginning of the summer,” reports Marie-Josée Morency. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to improvise.”
The President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis, Marie-Josée Morency. (Jocelyn Riendeau/Archives Le Soleil)
Comme Saguenay
But the woman at the head of the chamber of commerce wants Lévis not to be caught there in the coming years.
She wants Chaudière-Appalaches to develop its own tourist circuits to sell them to cruise passengers, rather than only welcoming the surplus from Quebec.
Ms. Morency, for example, offers a tour of the region’s vineyards.
“We have to take our place. We must develop a complementary offer in Quebec that sets us apart.”
— Marie-Josée Morency, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis
Marie-Josée Morency highlights the “beautiful model” of the La Baie cruise dock in Saguenay, which is due to receive some 80 ships this fall.
“When you get there, it’s really “wow!” she testifies. There are artists from The Fabulous [histoire d’un royaume]it’s lively, there are traders.”
“It’s something truly unique that gives people a reason to stay and visit,” adds Ms. Morency, who was also president of the Saguenay-Le Fjord Chamber of Commerce for seven years.
La Baie, in Saguenay, welcomes thousands of cruise passengers each year. (Michel Tremblay/Archives Le Quotidien)
She believes that Lévis should be inspired to “think bigger”. “We have everything to keep people at home, we just have to get organized.”
A pilot project
The City of Lévis is not too worried about seeing all the tourist ships anchored at the Paquet wharf leaving for Quebec.
The spokesperson for the municipality, Michel Thisdel, affirms that the 2024 season is first and foremost one of resumption, after a break forced by the pandemic.
He presents it above all as “a pilot project” which gives the municipal organization the opportunity to get its hands on welcoming cruise ships.
The City of Lévis presents the 2024 season as “a pilot project”. (Pascal Ratthé/Archives Le Soleil)
Lévis particularly highlights the development of an international zone at Quai Paquet to welcome visitors from abroad.
Finally, the City notes that two tourist agents will be on site when the ships arrive. And that the fountains of the Paquet quay will be on display until the last boat leaves on October 13.
The Port of Quebec indicates for its part that it is delighted to collaborate with Lévis and that its wharf “offers visitors a fantastic cruise experience and an excellent view of Quebec”.