Tourist services pushed
Communities must capitalize on cruise ship travel, says Nunavut Tourism boss
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, May 2, 2016
NUNAVUT
Top of the list for the territory's tourism needs are available services in the communities, says Nunavut Tourism.
Jessie Peterloosie of Pond Inlet guides some visitors on a boat trip through the Eclipse Sound in 2013. Nunavut Tourism hopes to expand the number of adventure services communities can offer visitors. - NNSL file photo |
"The services are lacking in every community," stated Kevin Kelly, CEO of Nunavut Tourism, in an e-mail.
The organization is currently in the process of educating and training outfitters and tour guides throughout the territory, in hopes to develop a market-ready product for when tourists arrive.
Training local Inuit tour guides was one of the top areas to improve identified in the 2015 tourism exit survey.
"Business travellers won't necessarily book trips before they travel North," stated Kelly. "There needs to be available packages - a town tour, boat ride, Ski-Doo ride - that they can purchase once they arrive in a community."
The survey found that cruise ship travellers left an average of $692 in the territory, which leaves much room for improvement considering the cost of their travel tickets are several thousand dollars alone.
"Communities that are visited by cruise ships frequently should organize among themselves a cruise ship welcoming committee of sorts," stated Kelly.
"Cruise ship passengers spend a lot of money to take the cruise and are likely to spend money on art and carvings if they are available once they arrive."
One way to help would be to have a point-of-sale system to allow tourists to pay with debit or credit cards, because many passengers don't have Canadian funds with them.
Almost all cruise ship companies that come through Nunavut and visit its communities are members of Nunavut Tourism, which has been working with them to add cultural interpreters to the ships.
"Interpreters will be able to explain how each community differs from another and explain the history and culture of the North before landing in a community," stated Kelly.
"Before anchoring, the interpreter can explain why art and culture is so important in the North and how and where to purchase art - if this is all explained before coming into a community, cruise passengers are far more likely to leave more money in the territory."
On the recent news of an airline ticket price war, Kelly stated that leisure travellers have never been the target market for Nunavut Tourism.
"Arctic Canada is for explorers, adventurers, sports hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, not those hoping to come and take a relaxing spa day at the hotel," he stated.
"The high cost of flights does stop a lot of people from coming, especially to the High Arctic, which has the most to offer in terms of amazing scenery and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but the real, authentic tourist will pay to come and experience this amazing territory if we offer the right packages and products."
