DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
"Inclusion not intrusion," is the philosophy that is guiding tourism development in Deline. The people-centred approach seems to be working.

Fishing guide Morris Neyelle displays his catch. Deline is renowned for world-record trout. - photo courtesy of Destination Deline

Last year in July, a tour group of one dozen visitors from England, Germany, Australia and the U.S. stayed in the Sahtu community for three days as part of a $4,000 package booked through Road Scholar, an elite Boston-based international tour company.

The package, Destination Deline, was launched in November 2013 through a partnership between the Deline Land Corporation, its Grey Goose Lodge and British Columbia-based Hotkey Marketing Group, led by former interim NWT Tourism executive director Jackie Frederick.

"We're the only Aboriginal tourism product considered to be market-ready," Deline tourism co-ordinator and Grey Goose Lodge manager Suzanne Hall told News/North. "That means we meet standards for international travelers and tour companies."

In fact, the success of Destination Deline has led to Hall, one of her coworkers and a community elder being invited to the Yukon First Nations Cultural Tourism Association Conference happening in Whitehorse from November 18 to 20.

"We will be presenting there and it's an amazing training opportunity," Hall said.

Typically, a similar premium tourism product takes three years before distributors can promote, sell and book the first customers, according to Frederick.

"From an industry standpoint it's unheard of that it could go from zero to the first group in such a short amount of time - nine months," she said.

During the inaugural tour, residents introduced their international guests to Dene cultural practices and history, elders shared hands-on demonstrations of traditional skills such as beading, local guides led interpretive tours in the bush and on the lake and provided a glimpse of daily life in the fly-in community of about 500 residents on the western shore of Great Bear Lake.

"People are envious of the way that they live and curious about the way that they live," said Frederick.

That southern curiosity translated into a tourism product after Frederick brought an Ontario tour operator to Deline en route to Inuvik from Norman Wells in early 2013. The spontaneous two-hour stop in Deline, pulled together in response to the tour operator's request to experience the goings on in a small remote community, was part of an intensive eight-day itinerary Frederick designed on behalf of NWT Tourism.

"My client and I were blown away with how beautiful it was," she said.

Existing infrastructure, the community's 20-year-old, 12-room Grey Goose Lodge, added to the appeal.

Discussions soon began with residents about filling the largely unused lodge rooms with more guests more often, but some had misgivings about the tourism industry.

"We had to make sure that people in the community wanted tourism. Some of the

elders didn't," she said.

A local tourism model designed to include the whole community in the presentation and benefits of a tour package was developed.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment kicked in $250,000 over two years to update rooms in the lodge with new appliances and beds and provide new equipment for boats.

The funding has also provided training for the two full-time staff and 10 part-time staff at the lodge.

"I think that's been the greatest investment," said Hall.

The upgraded rooms and amenities raise the lodge up to the industry standard today's travelers expect, she added.

"The money has also gone towards upgrading supplies for our guests on our tours, so when our groups come we now have rain gear for them if the weather is inclement. In the winter we have Canada Goose gear to keep them warm, so we can take them out ice fishing or touring," she said.

In April, Deline tourism representatives approached tour operators in British Columbia to pitch a winter tourism season. The community is also preparing to promote the community at trade shows in season.

More tourism will not spell disruption for the community, said Frederick, and that is understood by residents.

"We hand-pick these customers. When we talk to these people we say, 'Here's what you can expect in Deline and here's what they expect of you," she said. "Now the elders can't wait for the next group to come in, because it's not invasive. The young people are very proud."

Deline residents are not the only beneficiaries of the Road Scholar tour package. The product also includes two nights in Yellowknife, featuring a guided tour and programming led by Rosanna Strong of Strong Interpretation, a flight-seeing tour of the Mackenzie Mountains with North Wright Airways and

a day tour of Norman Wells.

In March, the Grey Goose Lodge hosted the Sahtu Regional Tourism Conference, which brought in delegates from Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Norman Wells and Lustel K'e.

"The purpose of this was knowledge-sharing among the communities, because a lot of other communities are looking at what they can do that would be similar," said Hall. "It was sharing experiences, sharing ideas, building relationships so we can partner on costs."

More community-based tour packages may develop from Deline's lead based on feedback shared at the conference, said Frederick

"Deline has proven to be a real inspiration among a lot of communities," she said. "You could see these young tourism people and community leaders, the light bulbs going off, going, 'We could do this.' I think some good things could happen in Tulita, Norman Weels, Tlicho - who knows?"

In the meantime, Deline is working to expand its tourism offerings.

An 84-pound trout caught on July 17, 2009, by Deline resident George Kenny is mounted in the lodge, proving the potential of the record-breaking fish available in the lake. Small fishing-themed community tour packages are in development along with small meeting packages, said Frederick, but there is no rush to book them.

"Stay tuned," she said. "It's a very slow-growth progress by design. We never want residents to change who they are. The natural infrastructure is already in the NWT. All they need to do is gently develop it and train the people within it and the product is there."

- with files from Karen K. Ho

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