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Montreal Gazette

Canadian Grand Prix is about ‘selling the city'

The Corner Booth Locals might be a little jaded about the return of the Canadian Grand Prix, but for the city's tourism industry, race weekend remains an economic powerhouse. With 2024's gaffe-filled edition firmly in the rear-view, there's optimism abound for this year's Formula One pit stop in Montreal. To drive home the importance of the annual event on the city's cultural and business calendar, Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, and Andrew Torriani, CEO and general manager of Ritz-Carlton Montreal, joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand for a special edition of The Corner Booth at the headquarters of all things razzle and dazzle for Grand Prix, the Ritz-Carlton Montreal on Sherbrooke St. W. 'The team has worked really hard since the end of the last Grand Prix,' Lalumière said. 'We feel very reassured. Tourisme Montréal has been part of the committee to oversee the situation, and I can tell Bell took this very seriously after last year's difficult Grand Prix.' One potential crisis averted is the current STM maintenance worker strike. Lalumière called the Grand Prix a 'lever' for negotiations, and here's a good example: normal bus and métro services will be provided all weekend. For the hotel business, Torriani said that with increased interest in Formula One down south in recent years, the diversity of tourists flocking to the city has grown far beyond the old Eurocentric stereotype to include more American, Asian and South American fans. It's a major boon for a country where Torriani said 'one in 10 people directly or indirectly' work in tourism. The Corner Booth is also available on The Gazette's YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.