Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 16, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - Le conseil de developpement economique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year.

The young organization strives to promote NWT tourism to French speaking visitors and provide economic development assistance to francophone businesses and anglophone businesses offering French language services.

Richard Lahaie, director of communications, left, and Rejean LeFort, director of tourism, of Le conseil de developpement economique des territoires du Nord-Ouest, an organization striving to attract French tourism to the North and develop French business services throughout the NWT. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

To promote tourism in the NWT, this March the organization hopes to host several French-language journalists from Quebec for a "familiarization" tour of Yellowknife, which will include a stop at this year's Caribou Carnival, said Rejean LeFort, the director of tourism for CDETNO.

French speaking visitors are drawn to the "exoticism" of the NWT, said LeFort.

"It's hard to get to. It's almost magical. That's probably what attracts them to the North," he said.

"French visitors are interested in aboriginal cultures, arts and fishing."

LeFort estimates the NWT receives about 200 French speaking visitors every year.

Patrick Lachapelle, the group's economic development officer, said that with the number of Japanese and German tourists to the NWT decreasing, the French are a growing and attractive tourist sector.

There were 44,349 fewer Japanese visitors to Canada from January to September 2007 compared to the same period in 2006 - a decrease of 14.6 per cent, said LeFort.

By contrast, there were 5,636 more French visitors to Canada.

"There's more and more francophone tourists that are coming into the NWT," said Lachapelle.

Quebec is also a market with potential for growth.

CDETNO has begun placing ads in many Quebec magazines advertising the organization and its goals.

When it's not marketing the rich experiences of the North to French speakers, CDETNO is helping francophone business operators with crucial start-up tasks such as writing a business plan and securing a loan from a bank - all in their mother tongue.

Lachapelle said there are 60 NWT francophone businesses registered with CDETNO, but he estimates another 100 are not represented by the list.

"We can also help them to expand if they want to seek new markets and do some market studies," said Lachapelle.

Scott Robertson, owner of Arctic Escapes Travel, said he has received inquiries from potential French customers who were initially told about his tour company by CDETNO.

"I just recently got an e-mail from a French group that is looking for me to put together an exciting package," he said.

"CDETNO has been a great referral source."