Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 20/02) - If tourists are going to be lured north, travel agents must be convinced this is a great place to visit.

Northwest Territories tour companies spend big cash to bring agents here.

"For every dollar we invest, we get back $2.50 from tourists," said spokesperson for NWT tourism, Lona Collins. It ads up.

Last weekend Canadian North sponsored the flights for 18 Edmonton travel agencies. Blachford Lake Lodge paid for the agent's Air Tindi flights to the complex.

"It is costly for any 'fam,' be it for two people or 10," she said.

A fam is a cost-free familiarization trip for agents.

This week a travel writer, James Reeve, is visiting from London, England.

His airfare was free. NWT Tourism organized a trip up the ice road, an aurora trip and some tours.

At the end of the month a television network called Oxygen is coming to do an episode of Free Ride with Greta Gaines.

That trip from New York is being paid by the Canadian Tourism Commission.

"To reach an audience for 30 minutes on Greta Gaines is enormous," Lona said, and added that a five-second mention on most networks in the U.S. is $10,000.