LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Deh Cho region showed off its best and brightest during Tourism Week this year.

Park officer Fabian Hardisty, left, serves, acting senior administrative officer Beth Jumbo fresh-cooked patties on June 5 at a Tourism Week barbecue. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

Running from June 2 to 5, the week was an opportunity to showcase the region and Fort Simpson.

Interpretive training classes ran from June 2 to 4 and focused on creating a memorable experience, according to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

"I think people enjoyed the course and took a lot away from it that they plan to use in their practices," said Mike Mageean, the department's regional superintendent. He added that about 20 people came out over the course of the three days.

"This was for everyone in the community and region. In particular, there was hospitality and interpretive training for residents who are interested in tourism."

On June 3, events kicked off with an open house at Simpson Air, followed by a free community barbecue on June 5 at the village centre.

Fort Simpson Mayor Sean Whelly said the week was an opportunity for stakeholders to collaborate and promote a more diversified economy for the community and the region as a whole.

"Everybody is a partner when it comes to tourism. I'm glad the village played a

part in it," he said.

"Tourism does bring in a lot of outside economic activity to support some of our local businesses."

Whelly said the village will be undertaking a few tourism-related projects of its own this summer with money received in part from the territorial department and the federal Department of Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.

The village will be developing the park area down by the ball diamond on the flats.

"That's going to be turned into more or less a day use area. There's going to be a lookout there to help people get good photos and a better perspective of the river, and there will also be a bit of signage down there related to bird-watching," he said.

Improvements extend to picnic tables, new bear-proof garbage cans and extra port-a-potties, which will be stationed in all the recreation and park areas around Fort Simpson.

Whelly also said the upcoming Liidlii Kue First Nation Spring Gathering will be a big draw for people from around the territories.

"Sometimes, we think (tourism) is all people from the U.S. or other provinces coming to our town, but a lot of tourism we get is from people in our own region or elsewhere in the NWT," he said.

"All these people come and they have an economic impact in our community."

The Spring Gathering will be held from June 19 to 21 in Fort Simpson.

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