New Richmond, Quebec, December 2, 2009 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced the awarding of $150,000 in repayable funding to Hôtel Le Francis under the Community Economic Diversification Initiative – Vitality to enable this premium-quality establishment to modernize its facilities. The project will necessitate an overall investment of nearly $700,000 and result in the creation of five jobs.
Located in New Richmond, on the banks of the Petite Cascapédia River, Hôtel Le Francis has become a major player in the Baie des Chaleurs tourism sector since opening its doors more than 20 years ago. The project the hotel is proposing involves renovating 10 rooms and the reception area, restoring the building’s exterior and purchasing computer equipment for online reservations. Hôtel Le Francis is one of the only establishments in the Gaspésie region with a four-star rating and the capacity to accommodate convention delegates. It offers vacation packages and year-round activity packages developed in cooperation with regional stakeholders. With this renovation project, the hotel hopes to increase its out-of-province clientele by 21% by the year 2012.
“A luxury establishment like Hôtel Le Francis helps strengthen the positive image already enjoyed by the Baie des Chaleurs, one of the most spectacular bays in the world. Tourism is an important vector of economic development and one that has allowed the communities of Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine to overcome the economic shocks that have struck in recent years. These communities, like those across the country, are able to count on the Government of Canada’s assistance in tackling these difficulties. Firmly committed to promoting tourism, we adopted an economic action plan last January that supports the efforts being deployed to improve the availability and quality of tourism products,” noted the Minister of State.
For more on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
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Sources:
Karina Gagnon
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 418-368-6048 or 1-866-368-0044
E-mail: karina.gagnon@dec-ced.gc.ca
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
E-mail: simon.bachand@dec-ced.gc.ca
