IQALUIT - The high price of transportation, food and services, opportunities to place local business information in hotel binders and a cruise ship code of conduct are some of the items brought up during a community consultation on tourism held in Iqaluit on April 20.

Karen Kabloona, left, the acting director of tourism and cultural industries at the territorial government, and Rowena House of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, look at some of the challenges participants of a community consultation on tourism brought forward in Iqaluit. Nunavut is finalizing its tourism sector development strategy, hence the consultations. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

Nunavut's Department of Economic Development and Transportation is consulting communities as it is finalizing its tourism sector development strategy, a document it said should be done this year. The strategy is expected to have ideas on how to develop new tourism products and territorial parks, to contract out the operation of the four year-round visitor centres as well as an accreditation system and assurance program for trip cancellations, for instance.

In Iqaluit, the last of 10 communities consulted, about 20 people attended a day-long consultation session on the strategy.

Smaller communities are looking for job and economic development opportunities, said Karen Kabloona, the acting director of tourism and cultural industries.

"In other communities, we have heard from those people who want to start a business and develop the opportunities," she said. "In Iqaluit, the topic has been quite general about developing tourism in the territory, just because of the dynamics of the room."

The consultations have gone well, said Kabloona. On average, 20 people attended in other communities with the exception of Gjoa Haven, where the consultation attracted 40 people.

"People would like to see more arts sales and more use of cultural ambassadors to give a more authentic experience when travelers come," said Kabloona. "Some of the challenges, as we all know, are high infrastructure costs, the high cost of travel here and challenges that exist across Nunavut."

Rowena House, the executive director of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, said she attended as they feel tourism and arts and crafts are tied closely together.

"(We want) to make sure arts and crafts is not being forgotten about in the tourism strategy because it's an important part of bringing everything collaboratively together," she said.

A representative from First Air was also present.

"What I hope to see at the end of the strategy is opportunities for new operators and outfitters to start new businesses and make it a little bit easier for them to get into and understand how it's all done," said Betty Ann Eaton, sales manager with First Air.

Nunavut Tourism chief executive officer Colleen Dupuis said tourism has "huge" development potential in Nunavut.

"We're hoping from this strategy we can figure out what we can do to realize that potential and develop the industry and make it grow within Nunavut," she said.

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