Hay River (May 03/04) - As far as Daniel Oteiza is concerned, the tourism season has already begun.

On April 27, a motorhome -- containing two retirees from New Orleans -- pulled into the Enterprise Visitor Information and Resource Centre.

Daniel Oteiza, Enterprise's marketing and tourism co-ordinator, points to the community's location in the Deh Cho Travel Connection. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"It almost seemed to symbolize the opening of the tourism season," says Oteiza, marketing and tourism co-ordinator for Enterprise.

He was especially pleased to see the travellers exploring the "Deh Cho Travel Connection" loop through the NWT from Enterprise to Fort Liard as a side trip on their way to Alaska.

Promotion of the loop is beginning to pay dividends, he says.

Overall, Oteiza says the NWT is up-and-coming as a travel destination. "I'm pretty confident with that statement."

In Fort Smith, optimism for this tourism season centres on the Northern Life Museum, which is emerging from a long period of renovations.

"The museum is going to be exciting this summer," says Mike Keizer, vice-chair of the museum's board of directors.

In particular, an exhibit featuring Canus -- a famed whooping crane -- will be opening this month. Canus was a one-winged whooper instrumental in a captive breeding program in the U.S. before his death last year.

In August, a grand re-opening of the museum is also planned.

Another tourism highlight in Fort Smith will be the grand opening of a small park -- a gateway to the North for the Trans-Canada Trail. That event is set for mid-June.

RV impact

There is also optimism for more tourists in RVs this year throughout the South Slave.

"We're hoping to see a continued increase in road traffic, the RV groups coming up," says Mike Couvrette, the regional program co-ordinator with RWED in the South Slave.

Couvrette notes there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in the NWT at RV trade shows over the winter, including one he attended in Toronto.

However, he says many people in the South are still not aware of the NWT as a travel destination. "They think it's at the end of the world, rather than a 15-hour drive from Edmonton."

RVs leave an impressive economic spin-off in their wake. Each visit results in approximately $1,100-$1,200 spent in the NWT on gas, groceries, souvenirs and other items.

Jet boats back

In Hay River, jet boat racing will be returning July 30-Aug. 2 after a two-year absence.

"That's a great draw for people to come into the community," says recreation director Todd Shafer. The jet boat races are an example of what Shafer calls "sport tourism."

Also falling into that category are the NWT Track and Field Championships, held in Hay River every summer. This year, the championships - which bring hundreds of visitors to Hay River - are set for June 3 and 4.

Shafer says such sports events are an opportunity to showcase Hay River and all it has to offer.

Hay River is looking to rebound from a slight decrease in the number of visitors last year. However, he says that was because of national factors, such as SARS.

This year, Shafer notes, national forecasts predict an increase in highway travel across Canada.

Spoke in the wheel

In Fort Providence, Memoree Philipp, the co-owner of The Snowshoe Inn, welcomes the additional business from tourist travellers.

However, she notes tourism is not that great a factor in the big picture, explaining no service sector businesses could survive on tourism alone.

In fact, she says while there are more tourists in the summer, business drops from government travel as bureaucrats take their holidays. "So it kind of balances out."

Tourism is just one aspect of the travelling public, she says. "It's a big wheel and there are lots of spokes in it."

Philipp believes the only way tourism will grow in the NWT is by word of mouth, not through any glitzy ad campaign.