Thousands of people gather earlier this month in Quebec City, Canada, for a parade marking the city’s 400th anniversary. Tourism is one of Quebec’s largest industries.

AP / JACQUES BOISSINOT

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — Crowds jammed the cobblestone sidewalks along Rue Saint Louis, waiting for the parade to celebrate the city founded as New France 400 years ago.

There were thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of children, parents, grandparents and other visitors from throughout Canada, the United States and the rest of the world. They came for vacation and to spend money in the old city.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Quebec.

The city’s sites, history and proud Amer-Indian, French and British roots attracted 4.8 million tourists last year.

That total will be smashed this year by people who come for the city’s 400th anniversary events and the 100th anniversary of Battlefields Park. That’s where, in 1759, British commander James Wolfe scaled the cliffs from the river to take the high ground and forced the French general, Marquis de Montcalm, to leave the walled city to engage the redcoats on the Plains of Abraham. Wolfe won, and Quebec fell under British rule.

As I waited for the parade that featured 12-foot puppets of Quebec’s founders, such as Samuel de Champlain, I wondered what Quebec could teach Rhode Island about how to expand its tourism economy.

There are similarities between old Quebec and Providence.

Both are walkable, historic urban areas that grew up along rivers and offer a rich mix of arts, shopping and culture.

The theater and arts district that surrounds a plaza in the Place D’Youville reminds one of the Trinity Repertory Theater and Providence Performing Arts Center sections of Providence.

At night, Quebec illuminates the statues and buildings that make up the complexes of City Hall and Parliament, where a blue crown is lit when the National Assembly is in session. Rhode Island has its majestic State House and Providence has its City Hall, marked by distinctive architecture and colorful stories of past corrupt mayors.

There are wonderful neighborhood restaurants, outdoor cafes and boutique hotels in Quebec, similar to what one finds in downtown Providence or Federal Hill.

And just a short public bus ride along the St. Lawrence River, huge fireworks displays are set off above Montmorency Falls. The mix of water, sound, light and symphony music drew tens of thousands during six events this summer and reminded me of the success of WaterFire in Providence.

While the similarities are apparent, there are also differences.

The parks and plazas in Quebec are inviting and people friendly. They are landscaped, well manicured and marked with colorful flags, working fountains and monuments lit at night, gardens and planters full of flowers and foliage. There are daily events, free shows and street performers in the parks and squares that visitors find around almost every corner. On the Plains of Abraham , the tables and benches that overlook the river attract families for picnics, business people on break and others who fly kits or sunbathe.

Providence has similar amenities. But they aren’t as well kept, developed or inviting as the ones in Quebec. And while Providence certainly has well-organized, well-attended special events, it needs more daily activities and attractions that a visitor would write home about.

Also, Quebec shows off its history and heritage wherever it can. Many of the buildings have commemorative plaques in French and English with a brief description of the significance. Spending just a few minutes reading the information gives visitors a good sense of place.

Providence has some of that, but needs more. (The first time I visited Providence, the marker at the entrance that read “The Providence Journal — The Evening Bulletin — During the hurricane and flood of Sept. 21, 1938, the waters rose to this level” made me want to learn more about the city.)

Quebec is also clean. The street sweepers and watering trucks scour the city before most visitors wake up. Merchants sweep the sidewalks in front of their establishments to invite shoppers in. (There also were no street vendors allowed on the parade route, perhaps because of the strong restaurant and merchants’ lobby or perhaps to reduce trash on the streets.) Providence is trying to tidy up the downtown with its yellow-jacketed clean-up crews. But on too many mornings, there’s too much garbage and too many beer bottles on the street, especially after weekends of partying.

Quebec also has an efficient, public transportation system to get around the city and region. It feels safe to step on a bus or walk around the city, even late at night. Providence shows visitors a mass of humanity and congested bus traffic daily on Kennedy Plaza that can be forbidding, especially to first-time visitors. And the financial troubles with Rhode Island’s public bus system and proposed route cutbacks don’t help.

Finally, there is a sense of pride among Quebec’s people, young and old. Visitors feel it when they talk to shop owners, hoteliers or residents. There was certainly a feeling of pride among all the people I heard or spoke with while waiting for the parade to pass. People in Providence often don’t have good things to say about their city.

I spent only a couple of days in Quebec, while I’ve been working in and walking around Providence for years. It’s certainly easier to see the blemishes when you have a daily, close-up look.

Still, old Quebec seems to have learned some lessons it can teach other older cities, such as Providence.

Tourism will not save Rhode Island’s economy, now stuck in recession. But it can help. It can bring in out-of-state money to supplement the state’s older economic base and small but growing number of innovative, technology-based companies. There’s more that Rhode Island and Providence can do to build on their beauty, history and location, both on Narragansett Bay and along the economic corridor between Boston and New York.

One of the most popular sections of Quebec is the restored old port area, where jewelry stores, specialty shops and art galleries line the narrow, winding streets. In a storefront on the Rue Sous-le-Fort, an American fingering a necklace asked the shop owner, “Do you take cash, a credit card or a traveler’s check?”

“Madame,” he replied in broken English, “We have found all the ways to take your money.”

jkostrze@projo.com