Ready for tourism
Nunavut's season approaching

Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 17/99) - When visitors cloaked in North Face gear turn up in Nunavut this year, Madeleine Redfern is going to be ready for them.

That's her job as the executive director of Nunavut Tourism. As such, she's spent most of her time since the organization's general meeting last year restructuring and developing the primarily government-funded agency that carries a $1.6 million budget.

Along with hiring a tourism development co-ordinator to oversee the industry in the Kitikmeot region and giving the regional directors travel budgets and more freedom to develop their areas, Redfern said great emphasis would be put on marketing during the upcoming season.

Enter Maureen Bundgaard, the new marketing director for Nunavut Tourism. Recently hired away from her Pond Inlet position as the economic development officer and the manager of Nattinnak, the hamlet's cultural and tourism centre, Bundgaard said she was up to the challenge of trying to market the territory and all of its resources.

"With the advent of Nunavut this year, it's a really excellent time to be marketing (it). Everybody has been seeing it on their TVs all over the world, so we've had press like never before," said Bundgaard.

While she planned to capitalize on all the free publicity, she said she realized she had her work cut out for her.

"Even though it's immensely challenging, it's very exciting."

Redfern explained that Bundgaard's first task would be to conduct an assessment of the tourism industry in Nunavut and to develop a marketing plan that takes it one step further.

While the idea of Nunavut as a tourist destination has already been sold over the last few years, Redfern said that this year, the focus would become more specific and would look at how to target tourists and their expectations.

"We're better utilizing our resources so we have a special niche market and target it as such. Also, bringing the tourists' expectations to the tour operators so that when we're advertising a product, it matches the tourist's expectations," said Redfern.

To meet the needs of the visitors to the territory, Redfern explained that educating tour operators on how to deliver their products was necessary. While such a task requires a huge amount of work, Redfern said the rewards were worth it.

"You do make a difference at the community level and you're bringing economic benefits into the community as well as creating jobs."

In keeping with the direction provided by their membership during their AGM, Redfern said more effort would be put into developing communication at all levels of Nunavut's tourism industry and into developing the partnerships between the different service providers.

"We've heard what our members have to say and now our focus is on ensuring that we follow through."