INUVIK
There's a new face on the Inuvik tourism scene.

Yukon native Kaylie-Ann Hummel is the Town of Inuvik's new tourism and marketing co-ordinator. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Kaylie-Ann Hummel was hired as the town's new tourism and marketing co-ordinator in April and has been busy getting acquainted with her new home and job.

Hummel is originally from Mayo, Yukon, so she's a Northerner both by birth and choice.

"My first job was in tourism when I was in high school," Hummel said. "I worked for a local museum in a museum. After that, I worked with heritage and culture for three years.

"I believe that's still part of tourism, because the main thing for tourism is the culture of where you're going," Hummel explained. "I believe it's a really big thing for people to learn something about the culture of where they're going."

That's where her interest in tourism grew from.

"I basically just wanted to learn my own culture," she said. "I wanted to learn my own background. Once I did that, and I was able to show people my personal culture and how important it is, it got me interested in tourism, where I could help other people."

"I really believe in promoting places that have their own unique culture, particularly like Inuvik, where there are tons of different cultures. It's so diverse. That's what got me so interested in this place, that I didn't even know about it growing up.

"It's unique experiences, like the reindeer crossing, that need to be promoted. Inuvik isn't as isolated as people think, and it's not as far or as cold as people think."

Hummel said her main priority as tourism and marketing co-ordinator is simply to promote Inuvik and what it has to offer.

She's also proficient and trained in marketing and graphic design. For some time, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and continued that until taking her new position.

"I found that with the job here I could do both tourism and graphic design at the same time, so I came here."

Hummel said she had visited Inuvik twice before, both times in the winter, so she had some familiarity with the town.

She's already noticing a few differences with living within the Arctic Circle, including the length of the days as Inuvik heads into the full Midnight Sun period.

"I just got back from the Yukon," she said May 21. "And there's still some darkness there. I'm excited to see it all, though.

"I like the contrast in seasons, though, since in the winter we have the darkness, too."

Her immediate priority is to have the Arctic Market back up and running in Chief Jim Koe Park in June after a successful first season in 2013.

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