Case Study 2

Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec

• Founded by Jean-Marie Girardville in 1997, the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Quebec encourages villages to preserve their authentic character and heritage qualities in order to increase tourism.
• To qualify, a village must have a beautiful or distinctive location and have authentic high-quality architecture.
• Some 35 villages have qualified in nine tourist regions of Quebec, including Knowlton, an old Loyalist settlement on Brome Lake, and Kamouraska on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, where traditional fishing methods are still used.
• The “most beautiful village” designation has attracted tourists who, in turn, support local artisans, farms, inns and B&Bs.