NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Combining tourism efforts across a region as large as the NWT and Nunavut is a major endeavour.

The popular aurora season has been very busy this year for tourism operators as promoters gear up for the summer season. - photo courtesy of Tessa MacIntosh

Each territory maintains their own web portal and branding effort, as do individual operators, cities, and towns.

Jackie Frederick, NWT Tourism (NWTT) interim executive director, is confident multiple efforts can unite for a common cause; increasing Northern tourism.

As part of the ongoing effort to keep one strong tourism season turning into another, the NWTT is participating in the world's largest international tourism fair - the Internationale Tourismus-Borse (ITB) trade show in Berlin - from March 5 to 9.

"These shows are incredibly important," said Frederick. "We attend and promote the NWT as a destination. These shows give us the opportunity to discuss specific products and itineraries."

The North has had a strong Aurora Borealis viewing season so far this year.

"It's busy right now," Frederick said. "I've talked to two of our big operators. Our Aurora operators are having, I think, a banner year."

Frederick sees increases in scheduled airline service to the NWT to be a benefit to the tour operators and lodge owners that rely on convenient access to bring visitors into the territories.

"The new (Air North) route from Ottawa to Yellowknife and on to Whitehorse is really going to impact our numbers," Frederick said. "Both from a corporate and a vacation standpoint."

Some Northern tourism operators could use a boost after having felt the pinch of tightening money belts over the past couple of years when it comes to travel spending.

"Tourist numbers were way down last year and the year before that because of difficulties with the economy," said Judi Falsnes, co-owner of the Arctic Chalet in Inuvik.

"But right now we're at our busiest, so we're not complaining."

Judi has co-owned and operated the Inuvik Arctic Chalet since the mid-90s with her husband Olav Falsnes.

"Inuvik is not a real hot spot for tourists, but there's more and more coming up," Judi said. "We're seeing more Chinese. The Chinese market is definitely growing."

The town of Inuvik itself has been working to improve their tourism strategy.

As part of that strategy, the town of Inuvik launched www.destinationinuvik.com on Nov. 15, 2013. Since then, according to Jackie Challis, Inuvik economic development and tourism manager, the website has had 2200 unique visitors, and more than 7900 page views. Seventy-five per cent of visitors to the site were from Canada, 15 per cent from the U.S.A, and 10 per cent from international locations.

Although it's too early to tell if page views are translating into lodge bookings, the early feedback is positive.

"We certainly have much distance to cover, but we are pleased with the interest shown thus far," said Challis in an email. "We have been receiving numerous enquiries directly from the website regarding booking packages for both winter and summer."

The NWT and Nunavut also have their own web-based exercises in tourism branding. Frederick reports spectacularnwt.com, the territory-wide portal for travel and tourism information, will receive an update over the coming weeks.

Multiple web portals for Northern tourism are not seen as competitors for limited travel dollars, Frederick noted.

"When tourism partners - when you get hotels, operators, airlines and people cooperating - the power of that is obvious," Frederick said.

"Nunavut does their own marketing, but we work closely with them. We work closely with Yukon as well."

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