Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 10/98) - With a mini-boom in meetings, many Yellowknife businesses are enjoying tourism dollars spent by hundreds of conference delegates.

So far this summer, the city has hosted a joint industry-aboriginal economic development conference, a mining symposium, a permafrost conference and a western premiers meeting.

The latest gathering is CGA-Canada's annual meeting. About 250 certified general accountants are in town for the event.

Add up the accountants, mining industry representatives, scientists, and media covering the western premiers conference and family members along for the trip, and you get about 800 people in the city just for these five conferences.

That means about $4 million in direct spending at city businesses.

Madeline Parsley at the Explorer Hotel gift shop said there's been a "significant amount of traffic in the last three weeks."

Conference delegates are interested in booking city tours and tours of Cameron Falls, Parsley said, with clothing and post cards are among the most popular items.

"When there are more people in the hotels, we are certainly busier," said Joyce Humphreys of Eldonn Jewellery on Franklin Avenue.

Visitors Centre reservation desk agent Melanie Bryant said that, during a big conference, often just about every room in town is booked.

The centre saw many visitors during mining week, she added.

Many of those wanted information on the city's mining history.

During the mining conference, Bryant remembered, two geologists wanted to see part of Great Slave Lake by boat. Bryant said they came back fascinated by the "untouched" rock formations.

And they were from Alaska.

A tour out on the lake is one of many options which can be included in a conference agenda, according to NWT Arctic Tourism general manager Eric Yaxley.

"We've seem some major conferences this year. Bigger than usual," he said.

As well as spending on hotels, meals, arts and crafts and souvenirs -- which make up the estimated $4 million in direct spending -- conference-goers are also spending money on sightseeing, taxis and airlines.

"Spending on airline tickets helps with airline viability for local residents."

Another obvious benefit is jobs, he added.