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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
New international Northwest Territories Tourism sales agents from Japan and German-speaking Europe were among more than 150 delegates at the 2011 NWT Tourism conference last week, which saw a record number of registered attendants.

International Northwest Territories Tourism sales agents participated at the organization's conference and trade show on Nov. 2. Pictured from left, Japan market representative Naohiro Fukawa, German-speaking Europe representative Michaela Arnold, North America sales manager Jackie Frederick, and Japan market representative Maho Saito. - Thandie Vela/NNSL photo

About 153 tourism industry delegates registered for the NWT destination marketing organization's two-day event, which took place at The Explorer Hotel last Wednesday and Thursday.

"It's been very successful because we've set new records this year with the number of delegate registrations," executive director Brian Desjardins said, adding 160 guests were expected at the conference's Thursday night gala dinner and awards.

Desjardins accredited the strong attendance to a number of factors, including a general increase of excitement in the territory's tourism industry, work put into the planning of the event, and industry interest in meeting David Ramsay, the new Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, who addressed the delegates in one of his first official duties as the new department head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, one of the privileges I can now enjoy as the Minister of ITI – and one I will especially enjoy – is the chance to work with you to champion our territory and your industry," Ramsay said. "Our tourism industry is successful because of the efforts of many of the people in this room -- our tourism operators, service providers and dedicated individuals who pride themselves on excellence."

New to this year's conference was the Rendezvous North room, where attendees were able to make individual 15-minute appointments with invited experts, including the international NWT sales agents Japan market representatives Naohiro Fukawa and Maho Saito, German-speaking Europe representative Michaela Arnold, and North America sales manager Jackie Frederick.

"If an operator wants to get involved in overseas markets, it pretty much has to be done through a tour company," NWT Tourism marketing director Ron Ostrom said, estimating upwards of 90 per cent of international tourism market business is done through the travel industry as opposed to consumer direct. "So what (Rendezvous) is going to do is help establish the relationship between the local operator here and the tour company."

The Japan sales agents, based in Tokyo, said Japan is the first market which started to sell the territory -- specifically Yellowknife -- as the Northern Lights destination more than 25 years ago, with an estimated 5,400 visitors from Japan in 2010 alone.

"We believe there is still big potential to enlarge the market, especially to create re-visits and travellers not only to Yellowknife but to other destinations in the Northwest Territories," Fukawa said. The Tokyo-based NWT contractors were brought on this summer, and Arnold, the NWT sales agent for Germany and Switzerland, in March.

"Germans and Swiss are very interested in nature and the outdoors and this is a very unique and special setting for this," Arnold said, noting there is "large interest" in German-speaking Europe to visit the territory.

Domestic visitors make up about 80 per cent of the territory's market share, which has been bolstered by increased competition in airlines coming to the territories, reducing the cost to fly in, Frederick, the North America contractor said.

"It's made a huge difference and I think all markets are going to grow as a result of that," she said, adding the growth of tourism packaging being done by local tourist suppliers is also making the product easier to sell.

The representatives handle advertising purchases, contact with media, tour operators, and other project co-ordination in their designated centres, with their contracts and marketing abroad budgets of about $60,000 provided by the organization's core GNWT funding.

The conference also included a trade show room, where about a dozen booths were set up by various businesses, including lodges, airlines, and Northern service companies.

This year's theme was The Royal Road to Tourism Excellence, following the visit of Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton this summer, and that of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who took a 10-day canoe trip in the Sahtu. Will and Kate's visit generated more than $16 million earned media value domestically, the organization said, and more than 6,000 media clips.

The association's annual general meeting took place Thursday afternoon.

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