Quebec City Travel News

Aquarium du Quebec’s new pavilion just opened. It will house jellyfish, sea dragons, seahorses, rays and bonnethead sharks. Under the supervision of animal care personnel, visitors are given the opportunity to touch these rays in their a tank.

The Aquarium’s new pavilion has three sections that are decorated and illuminated to create different atmospheres. The jellyfish section recreates the mysterious atmosphere of the seabed, the seahorse section, which includes several seahorse species, is linked to the world of pirates, and the touch thank represents a coastal environment. This area also gives visitors a chance to touch rays and bonnethead sharks.

The building’s cozy yet elegant atmosphere will also be perfect for corporate events, such as cocktails and other business occasions.

The new exhibits and activities organized at Chevalier House mark a new step in the relationship between the Musée de la civilisation and the Québec City Urban Interpretation Centre.

A designated historical monument
In this gorgeous historical monument dating back to the 18th century, visitors will find miniature models, multimedia presentations and narrations on how the building evolved through the years. On the top floor, several rooms from typical 19th-century working- and upper-class households have been recreated using artefacts from the extensive collection of historical furniture owned by the Musée de la civilisation.

Vieux-Québec Through Augmented Reality and 3D exhibit
Since 2008, the Québec City Urban Interpretation Centre has been located at Chevalier House, near the entrance to Place-Royale. A brand-new experience is being offered this year to celebrate the Interpretation Centre’s 25th anniversary.

The Vieux-Québec Through Augmented Reality and 3D exhibit recounts the past of this historical borough from the last Ice Age to today by means of an image archive, a multimedia presentation projected on a giant screen, a 3D model and more! Watch as the original fort that once stood at this site, Champlain’s “Habitation”, is rebuilt right before your very eyes! Travel through time to witness the major developments in the city’s past.

The SAQ New France Festival is one of the events in the Signature Experiences Collection (SEC) selected by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) to promote Canada as a tourist destination. For the past 16 years, the New France Festival has been offering activities, shows and ongoing entertainment that leave visitors feeling they have been transported back to the early days of the colony. This year, the festival will be held in historical Old Québec from August 1 to 5, 2012.

A one-of-a-kind event!
Every year, nearly 200 000 visitors come to relive moments of Québec City’s past and celebrate age-old joie de vivre throughout the Old City. The festival activities will be held at historical sites or on the cobblestone streets. The official program includes shows, re-enactments, a parade of giants, historical and archeological conferences, demonstrations, interactive workshops, a farmers’ market and countless figures in historical dress! This year, join the thousands of participants in 17th- and 18th-century costume and experience an era of great inventions, discoveries, exploration and artistic achievement.

For information about the program, go to nouvellefrance.qc.ca/en as of mid-July.

The 24 skippers are from Québec, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, with crews of three to twelve. The competitors will be departing from Québec City on July 22 to arrive in France 10 to 15 days later!

Several Quebecers among the crews
Four sailors from Québec are among those registered for the race! They are Luc Forcier, Georges Leblanc, Robert Patenaude and Éric Tabardel, who, like their European counterparts, are busy with their final preparations. The European competitors include such famous skippers as Jörg Riechers, the winner of La Solidaire du Chocolat, Stéphane Le Diraison, Fabrice Amedeo and Halvard Mabire, the winner of the 2008 Transat Québec Saint-Malo.

Watch the early stages of the race from along the banks of the St. Lawrence
For the 8th edition of this trans-Atlantic boat race, spectators can watch the ships sail down the St. Lawrence River from six riverside communities in Eastern Québec. These six are listed in the 6 Cities, 6 Buoys circuit: La Malbaie, Rimouski, Matane, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Gaspé and Percé. Each participating city will organize a public event to mark the passage of the sailing ships. The complete Transat Québec Saint-Malo program, including those of the six cities in the tourist circuit, will be released soon.

Valcartier Vacation Village invested $5 million to create its new summer attraction: Mirage.

Wide selection of water games!
Mirage is a fun family attraction. The recreational complex comprises walls of water, countless water games and a giant sandcastle with towers and a fortress that is surrounded by an enormous 30 000 sq. ft. heated swimming pool “moat”. As far as water parks go, Mirage has it all!

This attraction boasts twelve new water slides that both thrill-seekers and families with young children will enjoy. Mirage also has over 40 interactive water games at various locations, including inside the fortress and on an island playground. For a well-earned break, Mirage has a rest area with beach chairs.

A wonderful opportunity to showcase Québec City!The City of Québec and Québec City Tourism played a leading role in promoting the city and area to some 1800 delegates and 200 international journalists at the SportAccord Convention by introducing them to the Québec City experience! During their visit, the convention attendees saw what makes Québec City a champion sporting venue and one of the world’s most beautiful cities.The spotlight was on the sport events held in Québec City. The attendees were shown four different aspects of the city: its sport infrastructure; its one-window approach for sport event services; its role as a champion sporting venue, thanks to local athletes who compete in international events and to international-calibre athletes who come here to compete; and its image as a vibrant, dynamic host of high-level competitions, major cultural events and numerous national and international conventions.A few concrete results have already been announced: the official unveiling of the joint course for the Sprint Québec 2012/FIS Cross-Country World Cup and the 2013 FIS World Snowboarding Championships.

Second book in the series of beautiful Mendel GuidesFollowing the success of Quebec, World Heritage City, which has sold over 7000 copies so far, Éditions Sylvain Harvey and theCommission de la capitale nationale du Québec proudly announce the release of Quebec, Birthplace of New France (also available in French: Québec, berceau de l’Amérique française).In this new guide, renowned architecture historian David Mendel and famous photographer Luc-Antoine Couturier take the reader on a tour to explore the rich historical, architectural and artistic heritage of Québec City’s Lower Town, a port district on the north shore of the majestic St. Lawrence River.Lavishly illustrated with over 200 historical photographs and documents, Quebec, Birthplace of New France presents little-known parts of the Old City and features breath-taking images that have never been published before. This guide will be treasured by both visitors to the city and local residents.

Travel Alliance Partners (TAP DANCE)
June 4 to 8, 2012
Bosier (LA)
Contact: Robert LancupMPI Toronto Education Conference (TEC)
June 10 to 11, 2012
Niagara Falls (ON)
Contact: Régis FleuryIgnite Business Event Expo
June 12 to 13, 2012
Toronto (ON)
Contact: Régis FleuryCanada New England Cruise Symposium
June 12 to 14, 2012
Quebec (QC)
Contact: Martin Lachance

Quebec Association of Convention Bureaus (QACB)
June13, 2012
Québec (QC)
Contact: Marie Racine

Travel Blog Exchange
June 15 to 17, 2012
Keystone (CO)
Contact: Martin Lachance

Promotion Québec
June 19, 2012
Ottawa (ON)
Contact: Nancy Dacres

AIBTM
June 19 to 21, 2012
Baltimore (MD)
Contact: Patrick Guay