SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Funding for Northwest Territories Tourism is being raised for the first time in five years.
The additional $600,000 in tourism marketing, which will bring funding to roughly $3.2 million for promoting the NWT as a travel destination in 2014 from the current $2.6 million, was announced in the 2013-14 budget address.
Brian Desjardins, executive director of NWT Tourism, called David Ramsay, minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment, "a true champion of tourism" for finding the additional funding to promote NWT Tourism in an e-mail to News/North, adding that all members of the 17th legislative assembly are champions.
In the budget address, Minister of Finance Michael Miltenberger said tourism is a $100 million industry in the NWT that supports economies in all regions.
"Tourism remains a key economic priority in both developing and diversifying our economy," he said.
NWT Tourism representatives stole the show during the Feb. 7 sitting of the legislative assembly, when member after member, starting with Ramsay, recognized the officials in the public gallery.
NWT Tourism was also recognized by Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley, Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya, Yk Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro, and Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses, for working with communities to bring people North "to experience the spectacular NWT," Moses said.
Desjardins called the recognition in the legislature "amazing.
"We were quite proud and happy," he said. "I think that it showed that our entire government and MLAs, whether cabinets or on the other side of the house, no matter where they come from or what constituents they represent in the Northwest Territories, they all support tourism and they all supported the fact that NWT Tourism has achieved a lot of success.
"Everyone agreed, the government agreed, that it was time that they needed to increase the marketing dollars in order for us to do even more to be competitive and to further promote the NWT so we were quite proud and happy with the results of the budget address."
For every dollar spent on marketing, there is a $50 return on investment with tourist spending, Desjardins said.
Of its $2.6 million budget, NWT Tourism uses about $900,000 on administration and operations, the rest on direct marketing, mostly in the domestic market because 78 per cent of visitors to the NWT come from other parts of Canada.
Japanese travellers make up most of the aurora viewing visitation, and many fishing, outdoor adventure and road touring travellers come from the United States and parts of Europe.
In its expanded 2013-14 budget, NWT Tourism actually asked for an additional $1.2 million in funding from ITI, but only the $600,000 increase has been announced as yet.
"It's a step forward. It's a positive step forward but we are still seeking the full amount," Desjardins said. "We believe that through our marketing plan and our performance measurements we're able to show the government the value in every dollar spent on marketing and the return investment and that it's good for the economy.
"All of our money can't be spent on resource development and not everybody who lives in the NWT wants to work in those industries."
