SPA TOURISM PROFESSOR TERRY STEVENS » OWNER » STEVENS & ASSOCIATES
CANADA’S
Terry Stevens looks at the tourism industry in Québec and how the province is establishing itself as an innovative wellness destination
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spabusiness.com / digital
CREATIVE SPARK
pa businesses are fast emerging in Québec. But to understand why this sector is growing, you need to look at the bigger picture. Covering 1.7 million sq km,
Québec is three times the size of France and Canada’s largest province. As over 90 per cent of it is made up of the Canadian Shield, an uninhabitable rock, most people live in urban areas near the St Lawrence River between the city of Montréal and the capital Québec City.
Figures from the government body Statis-
tique Québec show that substantial natural resources have long been the mainstay of Québec’s economy. Yet knowledge sectors such as aerospace, ICT and pharmaceuti- cals, along with tourism, also play leading roles. Interestingly, there’s also a focus on research and development – 2.63 per cent of GDP was channelled into R&D spending in 2011, above the European Union average of 1.84 per cent and more than any other Canadian province. T is is clearly a province of innovation,
refl ected in an advanced, market-based open economy. In 2011, its GDP was ca$327bn (us$333bn, €256bn, £207bn) making it the second largest economy in Canada and 37th in the world. Innovation is also present in the province’s tourism industry, especially where spas are concerned.
Standout Québec spa designs include the Bota Bota that’s built on a stationary ferry boat
SPA TOURISM HUB In 2011, Québec welcomed 26 million tour- ists according to the province’s Ministry of Tourism. T is accounted for 2.5 per cent of GDP, 400,000 jobs and 30,000 businesses. T e province is split into 22 tourist regions with Québec City and the area surrounding the St Lawrence River – commonly called
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