Funding supports increased awareness of tourism opportunities to Canadians, and bolsters demand for Northern operators, and creates good jobs for Northerners

YELLOWKNIFE, NT, June 3, 2022 /CNW/ – The Northwest Territories is a tourist destination for Canadians and international travelers alike seeking a unique vacation experience. The territory has much to offer, from distinctive Indigenous cultures, unique communities and events to visit, vast and diverse landscapes to explore, great fishing, and stunning auroras to experience firsthand.

The pandemic has had an undeniable impact on NWT tourism and, like the travel industry worldwide, the sector continues to face challenges as the world begins to travel again. The NWT is once again a desirable destination for travellers and tourism operators are ready to seize this opportunity and adapt and grow.

A strong tourism industry is a key component of NWT’s economy. This investment by the Government of Canada will support NWT’s tourism businesses, organizations and communities so they are well positioned for sustainable growth and success moving forward.

Federal investment supports two tourism projects in NWT

Today, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister for PrairiesCan and Minister for CanNor, announced that the Government of Canada, through CanNor, is investing nearly one million dollars to promote NWT tourism development through two projects:

Northwest Territories Tourism – Domestic Recovery Marketing

• $475,000 supporting a two-year domestic marketing campaign by Northwest Territories Tourism aiming to attract more Canadian visitors. The project includes a new regional partnership promoting tourism development and marketing in Alberta, with a focus on major Northern transport hubs such as Edmonton. Development of the Alberta market for NWT tourism will also include initiatives such as travel package promotions aligned with new airline partnerships, a new website and marketing of summer road trips into the territory. This campaign will bolster awareness of NWT’s tourism sector as it ramps up to meet demand while recovering from the significant economic impacts of the pandemic.

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Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation – Tuktoyaktuk Strategic Direction and Heritage

• $500,000 from CanNor, and a further $200,000 from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, to the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation (TCC) for a two-year project to improve community readiness and grow capacity for its tourism sector. This includes hiring a project manager who will support the implementation of eight recommendations from the Tuktoyaktuk Strategic Directions and Action Plan. The project manager will work on increasing economic opportunities and help to improve the quality of life for community members. As well, a project coordinator will oversee the implementation of a marketing strategy for the planned construction of the Tuktoyaktuk Centre for Arts & Culture, which will help showcase Inuvialuit Culture to tourists. The coordinator will also hold a series of stakeholder consultations and community engagement sessions to raise awareness and build support for the project.

Quotes

“The Northwest Territories has much to share with all Canadians and visitors from around the world. Our government will continue to be a partner for local tourism sectors, helping bring renewed economic growth across the NWT. With local communities once again welcoming visitors, we are making these key investments to support tourism businesses and organizations as they prepare to greet travelers and meet demand safely.”

–  The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister for PrairiesCan and Minister for CanNor

“The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our government is fully committed to supporting businesses, organizations and operators through these challenging times, keeping safety as the top priority while ensuring they get support to quickly recover, innovate, and thrive. Through this funding, announced as part of National Tourism Week, businesses will be able to adapt, make improvements, and be ready to welcome back guests. Investments like this also feed into a broader strategy to help the sector survive the pandemic, recover and grow. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers.”

–   The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our government’s commitment to help position the NWT tourism industry for a strong recovery and future growth, while promoting all of the unique places and experiences the territory has to offer. Our tourism operators and the people of the NWT are ready to welcome visitors back to their communities to experience Northern hospitality.”

–   Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament, Northwest Territories

“As we take steps to move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are very grateful for the continued support from CanNor. The support for the Domestic Recovery Marketing program will allow NWT Tourism to work to attract more Canadian visitors to the Northwest Territories, which will aid in the economic recovery of our members, and will benefit our residents, and our many related tourism businesses.”

–   Harold Grinde, NWT Tourism board chair

“The Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation appreciates the Government of Canada’s continued support in funding the Tuktoyaktuk Strategic Direction and Action Plan/Heritage Project. The future of the community depends on long-term capacity building and core funding for economic development and critical infrastructure, as well as qualified people to be recruited into the community or trained locally to lead and work on key projects.”

–  Nellie Cournoyea, Vice-Chair, Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation

Quick facts

• The funding announced today is provided through CanNor’s full suite of regular economic development programming, including the Northern Aboriginal Economic Opportunities Program (NAEOP) and Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North (IDEANorth).

• CanNor’s programs support projects that promote sustainable community economic development, enhance business development and growth, and facilitate innovation.

• Northwest Territories Tourism is a not-for-profit organization, responsible to over 200 tourism business members in the Northwest Territories. They are the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the NWT tasked with marketing Northwest Territories Tourism (NWTT) products. NWTT promotes tourism products locally, nationally and internationally.

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SOURCE Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/03/c3562.html