Tourism could create jobs in NWT
Professor of urban studies and tourism speaks out on the North
Jeanne Gagnon
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 21, 2013
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Sustainable tourism in the North is what the world should aim for, according to a professor who spoke about the industry during a recent international circumpolar conference.
The Welcome to the Northwest Territories sign greets visitors driving into the territory from Alberta. Developing sustainable tourism in the North should be the objective, according to a Quebec-based professor of tourism who spoke at the recent Arctic Circle conference in Iceland. - NNSL file photo |
The Arctic Circle Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, from Oct. 12 to 14, brought together 119 professors, business executives, researchers and politicians, who spoke about a variety of topics, including climate change, Arctic security and economic development.
Wanting tourism to be represented, knowing the issue was not the main part of the agenda, Alain A. Grenier, a professor of urban studies and tourism at the Universite du Quebec in Montreal, spoke about the issue.
Residents of the North, he added, have the right to benefit from Arctic resources - not just royalties but having a voice as to how development should happen.
"Tourism, for me, being a softer industry compared to mining, could be a way to help them (residents)," said Grenier, adding the sector could bring much-needed employment to those communities. "We cannot have tourism anywhere, this is true whether we are in the south, east, west, we cannot have tourism if local people do not want to have it. Once you decide to have tourism, then you have to decide what kind of tourism you want."
Sustainable tourism is what one must aim for, explained Grenier, defining the concept as a compromise between economic development and environmental protection. Part of the environment will be sacrificed in the name of the economic activity, he added.
"It may be utopia, but it is nevertheless the direction we have to aim," said Grenier. "One of the biggest barriers in developing sustainable tourism right now is transport because we pollute the atmosphere on our way to the destination.
"Tourism can have some remarkable positive impacts for the communities, but if it's not done properly, it can also have some bad impacts," said Grenier.
Some of the positive impacts include valourizing cultures, giving pride to the people, he explained, while some negative impacts could be having too many visitors in a small community, which could overburden them. Tourism can also lead to the deterioration of the environment as visitors don't necessarily know the ecosystems, said Grenier.
Closer to home, Brian Desjardins, executive director of Northwest Territories Tourism, said he is looking forward to building relationships with the circumpolar world in respect to tourism.
"We believe the tourism industry will continue to play a prominent role for the Canadian Arctic and Circumpolar Arctic," he said. "We believe it has an incredibly bright future. We believe the tourism industry is based on collaboration and partnerships."
The territories are much more accessible than they used to be, noted Desjardins, and opportunities exist to work more closely with other tourism industries in Arctic regions.
"With respect to the environment, we know tourism has a positive economic impact, especially now and in the future with tourism-based vessels having access to the Arctic and the northwest passage," he said. "But on our radar screen, too, is what would the environmental impacts be on the Arctic ecosystem."
