Government of Canada Renews Support of Festival d'ete de Quebec With $1 Million in Funding

QUÉBEC CITY, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - July 15, 2011) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced the awarding of $1 million in financial assistance to the international Festival d'été de Québec.

"The Government of Canada is proud to be associated with this major player on the Quebec and Canadian cultural scene. This music festival, which has grown in leaps and bounds since its launch in 1968, is now the pride of the Québec City region," commented Minister Lebel.

The $1 million in non-repayable funding from Canada Economic Development will serve primarily to promote the Festival on international markets in 2011 and 2012. Awarded through the Community Diversification program, this assistance will help raise the event's profile on the world stage. Targeted advertising campaigns will also serve to reinforce Québec's reputation as a festive city and world-class tourist destination.

On July 21, 2010, Canadian Heritage granted $1.1 million for the presentation of the 2010 and 2011 editions of the Festival d'été de Québec through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF). The objective of the CAPF is to give Canadians increased access to the diversity and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances and other artistic experiences. This funding will allow the Festival to offer an even wider variety of program events to appeal to music lovers.

Drawing performers and spectators from all over the world, the Festival d'été de Québec has been helping to build Québec's reputation for more than forty years and today ranks as a major tourist attraction for the region. The popularity and economic impact of the event has grown steadily year after year, with the 2010 edition generating $25.4 million in economic and tourism spinoffs. This financial support from Canada Economic Development is in line with the Agency's mandate to encourage the growth of sectors that, like tourism, are instrumental to Quebec's continued economic vitality.

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