The Société des musées québécois (SMQ) today launched a new tourist guide, Museums to Discover – Québec Museum Guide, at the Stewart Museum at the Fort on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 248-page publication, with a highly contemporary and abundantly illustrated graphic presentation, is one of the SMQ’s strategies for developing and marketing Quebec museums as tourist attractions, an initiative conducted in partnership with Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the Ministère du Tourisme and Télé-Québec.

Guy Vadeboncoeur, Chair of the Board of the SMQ and Executive Director of the Stewart Museum, along with Michel Perron, Executive Director of the SMQ, enthusiastically introduced this new promotional tool, available in English and French. Mr. Vadeboncoeur noted that the goal of the initiative is to better position museums on the national and international scenes and, in the end, to draw more tourist visitors. Museums, after all, play an important role in developing cultural tourism. The SMQ will now be better equipped to promote its members, the some 300 museums, interpretation sites and exhibition centres throughout Quebec.

The Executive Director of the SMQ, Michel Perron, pointed out that the guide gives a valuable overview of the exceptional range of museums in Quebec for tour organizers and individual tourists looking for a cultural experience. “There is a tremendous variety of things to see and do, as you will find when you flip through this guide. Québec’s museums come in all sizes, from tiny to immense. They may be housed in a historic building, a daring architectural triumph or a former factory or even set outdoors. You can get to them on foot or by car, train, boat or motor coach. Some focus on their community, others their region, Quebec, Canada, North America, yesterday’s civilizations or modern-day issues. They bring history to life, amaze us with rich collections and introduce us to talent from near and far and to fundamental and emerging science. The museum experience is all about authenticity, learning, discoveries and pleasure!”

The SMQ’s Website address, www.museumsquebec.ca, is highly visible at the bottom of every page. Museums to Discover, the Website of the same name, is the perfect complement to the new guide, with up-to-date information on museum schedules, rates, nearby attractions, etc., to help visitors plan their stay.

With its Museums to Discover guide and Website, the SMQ invites everyone from near and far to come see all that Quebec’s museums have to offer.