The Northwest Territories government has begun the process of drawing up a strategy to guide how the territory’s tourism sector is developed for the rest of the decade.
The GNWT is preparing to spend up to $160,000 on consultants to produce Tourism 2030, a document that will set out a five-year tourism plan.
It’ll be the latest in a series. Tourism 2025, which at the time dealt with trying to rescue the industry after pandemic-era travel restrictions, was launched in 2021.
Tourism 2025 still runs until early 2026, so it’s a little too early to assess whether that strategy has hit its targets, which included an anticipated 103,000 visitors by 2025-26 generating an economic boost worth $170 million.
In a request seeking proposals from consultants to help create Tourism 2030, the GNWT said visitor spending was a little over $115 million in 2022-23. The NWT has of course had its share of issues that complicate tourism since the pandemic, such as floods and devastating wildfires.
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Starting in October this year, the consultants who win the bid will be expected to lead “an extensive engagement period using multiple methods to connect with a variety of tourism stakeholders across the NWT.”
Sessions should be held in Fort Simpson, Hay River, Inuvik, Norman Wells, Łútsël K’é, Yellowknife and the Tłı̨chǫ region, the request for proposals states. Specific tourism sectors to be consulted include aurora tourism, fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure, accommodation operators, “general touring,” business travel and cruise ships.
Airlines, festivals, funding partners, chambers of commerce and Parks Canada are among recommended interviewees on a list provided for consultants by the GNWT.
The engagement phase is scheduled to wrap up at the end of March 2025. After that, the consultants will draft a five-year Tourism 2030 strategy “in collaboration with GNWT staff.”
The GNWT’s proposed timeline shows work being completed by September 2025, though the final strategy might not emerge until later in 2026.
Tourism 2025 didn’t come out till April 2021, and its predecessor Tourism 2020 wasn’t published until September 2016.
