Yellowknife (July 04/03) - Summer in Yellowknife usually involves tourists, but this year some operators say visitors are fewer.

- Number of visitors to the NWT in 2000-2001: 39,044; in 2001-2002: 32,833. - Total industry spending in 1999-2000: $28,834,000; in 2000-2001: $34,150,000. - The top three travel destinations in the NWT are Dempster Highway that connects the Yukon with Inuvik; Yellowknife; and fishing spots.

"We're as busy as we can handle, though not as busy as this time last year," said Greg Robertson of Bluefish Services.

Bluefish offers fishing trips on Great Slave Lake and gets a lot of business from "old-time visitors coming back and calling us up."

Air Tindi's Scenic Tours also gets a lot of repeat visitors.

"People from the United States and Europe come back every year," said Teri Arychuk, vice-president of operations.

Air Tindi Ltd. has been open for 15 years but has so far experienced a slower season than usual.

"If the lodges get booked up, then we will be busy," she said. "We all have to work together on this."

Pilote Point Lodge isn't having trouble filling rooms and bookings are more consistent this summer than last year.

"Since we opened in 1995, our business has steadily increased," said Crystal Daschuk, the supervisor in town.

Daschuk hasn't noticed an huge impact on visitors from the threat of SARS, West Nile Virus or the higher Canadian dollar, but notes that "we're not getting as many inquiries from overseas through our Web site."

Hotels and B&Bs doing fine

Super 8 Motel has been doing extremely well since it opened three years ago.

"We have 80 per cent occupancy almost 100 per cent of the time," said Debra Barnett, a front desk agent.

According to guest services manager Jacqueline Auchinleck, the number of guests is the same as last year.

"(Being a chain) does help because people from the States know the quality," Auchinleck said. "We get guests from all over the world."

Chateau Nova is operating at about par with last year, according to General Manager Gorana Wilson.

"The season is going wonderfully," she said.

Advertising is mostly though word of mouth and the hotel also mails out brochures.

"We have a regular clientele who keep coming back."

Business is off at Eric and Eva's year-round B&B. It has been operating for 16 years and lays claim to the title of Yellowknife's oldest.

Eric Henderson said they get a lot of repeat visitors, especially from medical specialists who appreciate the nearness to Stanton Hospital, but bookings are down this year.

He isn't pleased with the territorial government's efforts to promote tourism and said "it would be better if (NWT Tourism) were more visible."

Henderson recently read a commentary by Wendy Grater, an Ontario tour operator, who was critical of the "marked deterioration in flights, schedules, and reasonable access to the North."

The commentator was published in Canadian Tourism magazine, a publication that is distributed across the country.

The article is basically saying "don't go North because it's too expensive," said Henderson. "How is that promoting tourism?"