Tourism promoters strive to brand their destinations in anticipation of what they think travellers hope to experience. In turn, travel writers react in part to destinations in line with their expectations. While several scholars have documented such patterns elsewhere, these have remained understudied in the case of Quebec despite the frequency with which the province was branded and rebranded and its status as a major North American travel destination in the decades leading up to Expo 67. The first comprehensive history of Quebec tourism promotion and travel writing, From Old Quebec to La Belle Province details changing marketing strategies and shows how these efforts consistently mirrored and strengthened French Quebec's evolving national identity. Nicole Neatby also takes into account the contentious role of English-speaking promoters in Montreal, belying the view that Quebec was unvaryingly represented and appreciated for being "old." Taking a comparative approach, Neatby draws on books and a wide array of newspapers, popular and specialized magazines, and written and visual sources from outside the tourist genre to reveal how the distinct national and cultural identities of English Canadians, Americans, and French Quebecers profoundly shaped their expectations and reactions to the province. From Old Quebec to La Belle Province traces and explains shifting promotional priorities for tourism and travel writers' varying reactions over the course of four decades, and how these attitudes harmonized with evolving national identities.

Nicole Neatby is an associate professor in the Department of History at Saint Mary's University.

Nicole Neatby's profile page

"The first comprehensive history of tourism in Quebec, From Old Quebec to La Belle Province deserves a wide audience among Canadian historians. Its most important contribution is Neatby's ability to draw connections between tourism and Quebec's broader political culture." Michael Dawson, St Thomas University

"Neatby's exploration of the evolving tourist landscape of Quebec and Montreal is a welcome addition to the literature on the commodification of space, travel and tourism, and of Quebec nationalism." British Journal of Canadian Studies

"Abundantly illustrated, [From Old Quebec to La Belle Province] is well researched, relying not only on government documents, newspapers, guidebooks, and promotional materials but also on numerous books and magazine articles from those who made the journey. The book is an important contribution to the global history of tourism." Choice