Montréal to host Virtuoso® Symposium in May 2023

Tourisme Montréal and its partners are proud to announce that the Virtuoso® Symposium, organized by the industry's leading luxury travel network, will take place in Montréal from May 15 to 21, 2023. This event brings together more than 400 local and international delegates annually for four days to meet and discuss the sector, while discovering the host destination.

The Virtuoso® by-invitation-only network brings together more than 2,000 travel agencies, hotels, cruise lines, tour operators and other partners from more than 100 countries around the world. Its 22,000 elite advisors use their expertise and connections to create tailor-made trips for clients, including unique experiences, special values, complimentary perks, VIP treatment and rare access. Montreal, the host city, has four member establishments, namely Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, the Ritz-Carlton Montréal, the Four Seasons Hotel Montréal and Le Mount Stephen Hotel.

Montreal is an undeniable destination to host the Virtuoso® Symposium. Local and international visitors have an enviable choice of unique accommodation establishments and world-class facilities. Its diversified offer of luxurious and authentic experiences makes Montréal a cultural metropolis with European airs that shines throughout the American Northeast. Thanks to an extensive terroir and local products year-round, the destination aspires to be recognized as the capital of gastronomy in North America. Welcoming more than 11 million leisure and business tourists per year, Montreal has been in first place for the hosting of international events in America for four years.

Quotes

"Tourisme Montréal is proud to host the Virtuoso® Symposium in Montréal in May 2023. Our destination is a natural choice thanks to its diversified offer of luxurious and authentic experiences, its rich cultural scene, its renowned gastronomy, its world-class facilities and its unique accommodation establishments. I would like to thank our partners for their collaboration and the Virtuoso® network, since the coming of this event contributes to the enviable reputation of Montréal and to making it a luxurious world-class destination."

– Yves Lalumière, CEO, Tourisme Montréal

"Congratulations to Tourisme Montréal and the many partners who have worked together to successfully win the city's bid to host the 2023 Virtuoso Symposium. Events like these provide a crucial opportunity to engage influential decision-makers of the luxury travel industry, which in turn helps us capture Canada's full potential as a tourism destination through attracting high-value guests. We're looking forward to welcoming the delegates of Virtuoso Symposium and creating enormous, short-term and long-term value for Montréal and Canada."

– Marsha Walden, President and Chief Executive Officer, Destination Canada

"With an annual economic impact of nearly two billion dollars before the pandemic, business tourism plays a critical role in the economic vitality of Québec's cities and regions. Given the current context of intense competition across international tourism markets, holding a major event like the Virtuoso® Symposium sends a strong message of recovery that showcases the quality of our hospitality offer and infrastructure. Being selected to host this event is a great source of pride for the Québec tourism industry and will directly contribute to repositioning our destination as a top choice for planning international-calibre events."

– Martin Soucy, President and CEO, Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec

"On behalf of Accor Hospitality; specifically Fairmont & Sofitel hotels, I am absolutely thrilled that Montreal will host the Virtuoso Symposium in May 2023! After attending multiple Virtuoso Travel Week's myself, I understand the importance of the commitment to luxury travel. I know that the Elite Travel companies attending the symposium will absolutely rave about Montreal as a destination, its people, and its charm. Their clients will in turn thank their Virtuoso Travel Partner and will want to return time and again."

– David Connor, Regional Vice President – Eastern Canada and GM, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth

"On behalf of the ladies and gentleman of the Ritz-Carlton Montréal , we are looking forward to welcoming the 2023 Virtuoso Symposium to our home. See you soon ! "

– Andrew Torriani, CEO and General Manager, Ritz-Carlton Montréal

"We are thrilled that we have been chosen as the host city of the 2023 Virtuoso Symposium. It's a privilege to be able to showcase Montreal to the industry's leading luxury travel network. We look forward to inspired conversations amid the magnetism of this great city."

– David Wilkie, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal

"Amazing news! On behalf of Le Mount Stephen, a proud member of Leading Hotels of the World®, I would like to express how excited we are to welcome the Virtuoso Symposium® in our beautiful and vibrant city of Montreal."

– Massimo Urzillo, General Manager, Le Mount Stephen

About Tourisme Montréal Tourisme Montréal is a 100-year-old private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-calibre leisure and business travel destination. Uniting nearly 1,000 businesses and organizations working directly or indirectly in tourism, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. For more information, go to www.mtl.org.

SOURCE Tourisme Montréal

CONTACT: Manuela Goya, Vice-president, destination development and Public Affairs, Tourisme Montréal, Phone : 514 234-1838, mgoya@mtl.org