A mountain plan to adapt to the climate

Mountain tourism is particularly vulnerable to climate change. This is why the Quebec Ministry of Tourism has given several ATRs the mandate to carry out a Mountain map for their territory, including Tourisme Montérégie. This is in order to guide tourism development actions in a perspective of transition to more sustainable and responsible tourism, which benefits local communities.

The context is particular in Montérégie. The six mountains on its territory have a high ecological and social value since they are among its last wooded natural environments. Small in size, these environments are isolated and fragmented and subject to great development pressures. Today, some have a developed tourist offer, others do not. There are two ski resorts, a national park, hiking trails, cross-country skiing, agro-tourism producers, etc. According to the region's conservation organizations, “you cannot develop tourism in a natural environment with high ecological value as you would elsewhere.”

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The process, which took place over a few months, consisted of several steps:

- Individual interviews with key players made it possible to fully understand the issues, needs, projects and opportunities;

- A portrait of the ecosystem was produced for each mountain, including a map of tourist attractions — in collaboration with the firm Le Pic Bois;

- A search for secondary data was carried out: regional data on climate change, behaviors and expectations of customers on sustainable development, benchmark of climate change adaptation initiatives in mountains;

- A brainstorming workshop in co-creation mode with stakeholders from the municipal sector, conservation organizations and tourism operators made it possible to specify the vision and priorities.

Overview of the research steps

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Reflection workshop led by Touriscope

Adapting mountain tourism to climate change

‍At the final strategic reflection stage, Touriscope proposed, for Tourisme Montérégie and its partners, three main orientations, seven fields of action and a few stakeholder projects to support. The balance sought between the various territorial objectives and challenges will be achieved through the development of a nature offer in the mountains as well as within a larger territory. An offer that is both accessible and attractive for the local population and visitors, responsible in terms of the regional vision for the conservation of biodiversity, as well as viable in the climate context of tomorrow. In addition, the region can count on a large presence of local agri-food producers to offer a truly sustainable experience that brings opportunities.

Following this study, Tourisme Montérégie launched a call for projects to support the development of this mountain tourism.

Press release: Tourisme Montérégie - A plan to strengthen the vitality of mountain tourism