Government of Canada Invests in International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 13, 2012) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces that the Corporation du Festival de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu has been granted funding for the promotion in 2012 and 2013 of the International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

"The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is an important engine of economic development for the Montérégie region. This festival not only helps build Canada's reputation abroad, it also fosters the growth of the regional tourism industry and, by extension, contributes to job creation," noted Minister Lebel.

Germain Poissant, President of the Corporation du Festival de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, said he is "very pleased about this federal funding, particularly as the hot air balloon festival showcases local talent and allows the organization's large-scale projects to shine on the international stage."

The Corporation du Festival de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, the local non-profit organization that puts on the annual International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, is committed to working in close collaboration with the Montérégie and to promoting the region's economic and tourism development. In 2011, the festival drew some 500,000 visitors, many of them foreign tourists, and has become one of the largest family events held in the vicinity of the Greater Montréal region.

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This funding, granted in the form of a $390,000 non-repayable contribution, has been awarded through Canada Economic Development's Quebec Economic Development Program. The Corporation intends to use these funds to, among other things, produce press materials to attract foreign media, take part in tourism shows and conventions, carry out promotional and advertising activities, and introduce a new event, Night Suns, to this year's festival line-up.

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