Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles wins the Excellence Tourisme award in the “Innovation and development of the offer” category

On November 13, in the presence of Minister Caroline Proulx and the Honourable Liza Frulla, Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Iles received Quebec's ultimate accolade for "Innovation and development of the offer" at the Centrexpo Cogeco in Drummondville, winning the prestigious Prix Excellence Tourisme. As part of the Tourism Summit, the largest annual gathering of Quebec's tourism industry, the Park received this coveted honour, thanks in part to its new Exploration Center.

This Center - a $15 million project that has been gradually opening since spring 2018 - was officially inaugurated in early 2019. Featuring state-of-the-art technology, the new pavilion marks a turning point for Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. It can now welcome a greater number of visitors and showcase the jewel that is the Rivière des Mille Îles in multiple ways from a single site. With these new facilities, the Park has significantly improved the quality of its services, which are now considered to be of international calibre.

With this Center, the Park has been enriched by the addition of an ecology laboratory where several living species are showcased, venues available to rent for various events, a café area, and the permanent exhibition, "Believeit or not!", which recounts the history of the Mille Îles River, its vast ecosystem and its environmental issues. This museum space meets the highest industry standards and is accessible year-round.

Since the inauguration of the Center and all its services, the Park has seen a 26% increase in visitor numbers, despite a season cut short in the first few weeks due to flooding. Seasonal traffic has reached new records, whether for boat rentals, cruises, animated activities or day camps.

The entire team would like to take this opportunity to thank its invaluable partners, who have supported the organization from the very outset of this project: first and foremost, the City of Laval, with an investment of over $7 million and ongoing logistical support; the Ministère des Affaires municipales and the Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal, who together invested $5 million; and many other partners and supporters, including Canadian Heritage, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and Tourisme Laval.

Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles would also like to thank all those who made the 2019 season such a resounding success, as well as the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec for this most prestigious award.