Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Hay River (Oct 28/05) - More than 61,200 tourists came to the NWT last year and that doesn't include residents who took trips to other parts of the territories.

Visitors to the NWT left behind an estimated $100 million for goods and services during the 2004-2005 season.

Shore lunches are a regular part of the day at Mackay Lake Lodge. Fishing guide Archie Sangris prepares fresh lake trout while Charlie Huddy, assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers, and Rosalee Prentice, of Hay River, watch. - Andrea Markey/NNSL photo

That equates to an increase of seven per cent over the year prior. According to the GNWT, leisure tourists made up 63 per cent of the visitors to the territories, with people here on business making up the remaining 37 per cent.

Tapping into this renewable resource is the focus of the three-day NWT Tourism conference taking place in Hay River later this week.

Representatives from government, tour companies and lodges will participate in workshops on the travel trade, product pricing and packaging, risk management, and diamond tourism.

"This year is the first time people will get real hands-on experience on how to package and price tours," said Robin Wotherspoon, chair of NWT Tourism. The conference is also an annual opportunity to get together to plan for the year ahead, she said.

Don Morin, co-chair of Aboriginal Tourism Canada, and owner of Aurora Village, will speak on how people in the North can get involved in the growing market of aboriginal tourism.

"People come to the North to see what we have and for the whole cultural aspect," he said. "We don't have to copy models from the south."

But some things carry through to all tourism operations, no matter where they are located, he said.

"If you treat people right, they will come back and they will tell their friends," he said. "If your brochure says you are going to put customers in a tent and feed them smoked fish on spruce bows, make sure you do it."

Aboriginal tourism isn't the only area primed for even more growth, according to others in the North.

A recent study by the Francophone economic development council of the NWT shows huge potential in the untapped Quebec market.

Despite very little marketing east of Ontario, an estimated 443 Quebec tourists visit each year.

With the right approach, that number can easily grow to more than 1,000 in six years, generating more than $700,000 each year, said the council's Sylvie Francoeur.

The NWT Tourism conference will also include three award presentations: the Mike Stillwell Lifetime Achievement Award, Operator of the Year and the Service Excellence Award.