Submitting an application
- Agencies hoping to obtain financial assistance must submit a formal application by completing the required forms and providing the required supporting documents.
- ARF-Québec will confirm the eligibility of the agency.
- The agency will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within ten business days of submitting their application.
- ARF-Québec accepts applications for financial assistance four times a year.
For 2020:
-
- 1st call for proposals: from January 20 to February 28, 2020;
- 2nd call for proposals: May 2020;
- 3rd call for proposals: July 2020;
- 4th call for proposals: September 2020.;
The agency cansubmit a package proposal for eitherthe current or followingyear.
Application evaluation
The projects will be evaluated using a grading scale(available for download at the bottom of this page).
A selection committee, along with a representative from the targeted Association touristique régionale will evaluate the projects based on the established criteria. The selection committee will include a representative from both the Ministère du Tourisme and, the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec, as well as the Explore Québec program manager from ARF-Québec.
Application process stages:
- Program manager receives the packages (by February 28, 2020, at the latest)
- Program managerevaluates the packages (between March 9-13, 2020)
- Packages are submitted to the appropriateAssociation Touristique Régionales (ATR) for comment (between March 13-20, 2020)
- Packages are evaluated by the selection committee (between March 23-27, 2020)
- Selected packages are validated by the selection committee (March 27)
Letters are signed by the Ministère du Tourisme (between March 30 and April 10, 2020)
Only complete applications will be evaluated.
Promotion
Promotion must be done by the agency itself. However, the Association Touristique régionale (ATR) and the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec (Alliance) in collaboration with ARF-Québec and the Ministère du Tourisme (MTO) will be involved with marketing any “showcase” travel packages.
- Promotion of the Explore Québec program: ARF-Québec and MTO;
- Promotion of travel packages within Québec: ATR, the selected agency and ARF-Québec (collaboration);
- Promotion of travel packages outside of Québec: Alliance, ATR, the selected agency and ARF-Québec (collaboration).
Application approval
The financial assistance granted will be subject to an agreement between ARF-Québec and the agency. It will specify the description of the project, the aid granted, the payment terms for this assistance, and the supporting documents that must be provided.
Financial assistance
The financial assistance that is being offered is in the form of a grant.
Taking into account the operating procedures of the program, the stacking of government assistance does not apply.
The financial assistance granted to the agency will be used in its entirety to sell the proposed package at a reduced rate.
In the first year, the financial assistance granted for each package sold with domestic flights withinQuébec will be approximately 50% of the average airfare for each region, and will be a fixed amount depending on the tourist regioncovered by the package, see the costbreakdown below:
- Gaspésie: $250;
- Bas-Saint-Laurent: $250;
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine: $250;
- Abitibi-Témiscamingue: $250;
- Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean: $250;
- Côte-Nord:
- Duplessis: $750 (Sept-Îles: $250);
- Manicouagan: $250;
- Eeyou Istchee James Bay: $550;
- Nunavik: $1,200
In the first year, the financial assistance granted for each package sold with flights from outside of Québec will be approximately 25% of the average airfare for each region, and will be a fixed amount depending on the tourist regioncovered by the package, see the costbreakdown below:
- Gaspésie: $125;
- Bas-Saint-Laurent: $125
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine: $125;
- Abitibi-Témiscamingue: $125;
- Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean: $125;
- Côte-Nord:
- Duplessis: $375 (Sept-Îles: $125);.
- Manicouagan: $125;
- Eeyou Istchee James Bay: $275;
- Nunavik: $6 000.
If necessary, the amount established for each region may be adjusted by the Management Committee.
A package including a one-way trip to a region and a return trip from a different region will be awarded half of the financial assistance provided for each covered region . The amount granted will then correspond to the sum of these two amounts.
The financial assistance per customer must not exceed the total price of the airfare.
The agency must indicate its projected sales potential. Based on the sales predictions submitted and the available budget, a selection committee will determine the financial assistance that will be allocated to the agency.
The selected package will receive financial assistance for at least one year. There is a possibility of renewal if the results reach a certain sales threshold that has beendetermined by the program’s management committee. A mechanism to reallocate the allocated financial assistance will be used if the agency does not meet the determined thresholds.
Upon the exhaustion of the financial assistance allocated to the agency, the packages can then be sold at normal rates.
Financial assistance cannot be increased to compensate for any cost overruns.
The Ministère du Tourisme will subsidize no more than the total number of packages established in the financial assistance agreement. If the agency wishes to increase its grant, it must contact ARF-Québec to validate the availability of the financial assistance.
Payments terms
Financial assistance will be paid monthly based on an up-to-date sales statement and proof of customer air travel.
General management terms
The total amount of financial assistance awarded under this program is $9.5 million, divided as follows:
- $1 million for 2019-2020;
- $2 million for 2020-2021;
- $3 million for 2021-2022;
- $3.5 million for 2022-2023.
To ensure the efficient operation and success of the program, ARF-Québec may consult with the Ministère du Tourisme to adjust certain parameters of this program annually. Ministerial approval may be required for any financial changes.
Upon reviewing the applications, the selection committee will then determine the number of packages selected in each eligible region, which could allow for several products or seasons to be packaged by region.
ARF-Québec may refuse to grant financial assistance or suspend it if the agency no longer meets the criteria that made the project eligible or if it fails to fulfil any contractual obligations.
Until the program end date, packages may be modified to adapt to the market or the tourist offerings in the region. If necessary, the agency may be required to demonstrate the need for these adjustments to the selection committee.
The agency must manage the assembly, promotion, sale and after-sales service of the packages being offered. The agencies are compensated by selling packages.
The agency must ask consumers if they agree to be surveyed by the Ministère du Tourisme and, if necessary, provide ARF-Québec with their contact information.
The agency must display the Explore Québec logo on any documents intended for promotion within Québec.
Expected results
The assessment of achieved objectives will include the following indicators:
- Increased demand in response to a good offer:
- Growth in the number of accommodation units occupied in each region;
- Growth in the number of tourists arriving from outside of the region;
- Increase in the ratio of the number of tourists benefiting from the program compared to the average number of tourists for the reference period (2013-2018).
- Lower airfares to targeted regions:
- Decrease in the average monthly airfare per region compared to the average monthly fare in 2018.
- Extension of the tourist season for regions with high seasonality:
- Increase in the number of units occupied monthly by region from September to May.
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