The GNWT has a new tourism strategy. Here’s the plan.

The NWT’s tourism strategy for the next five years is promising to “drive sustainable growth, strengthen community-based tourism, and build resilience for the future.”

The territory’s last tourism strategy was released mid-pandemic in April 2021. Reflecting that, it was dubbed a “roadmap to recovery.”

The new one, published on Wednesday, carries the tagline “sustainable journeys ahead.”

Over the course of about 50 pages, it outlines priorities like building industry capacity, enhancing visitor experiences, expanding sustainable tourism products,
strengthening marketing and communication, and making better use of data.

Here’s a quick guide to actions the strategy sets out.

Developing a skilled workforce

The GNWT says it will work to increase awareness of tourism training and mentorship programs, especially in small communities.

A new program, titled Industry Capacity Support, will be rolled out within the next three years.

That program will “focus on improving operator readiness, enhancing service delivery standards, mitigating workforce shortages and overcoming infrastructure limitations,” the strategy states, though the practicalities of how the program will work aren’t set out.

Ahead of that, the GNWT will carry out what it calls a “gap analysis” designed to identify “critical challenges limiting the NWT tourism sector’s ability to meet rising visitor expectations.” The capacity support program will in part be designed to respond to whatever the gap analysis finds.

Improving the visitor experience

The GNWT will develop an initiative about the value of tourism to the territory.

“By showcasing how meaningful connections with residents create lasting memories, the campaign will help foster pride and appreciation within communities,” the strategy states.

By 2028-29, you should also start to see the territory producing more of its own “themed and self-guided itineraries” for tourists along the lines of culinary, heritage or nature trips.

Sustainable tourism

This will be a focal point of the second year of the five-year strategy.

Actions on the list include fostering more partnerships between tour operators and local businesses to develop packages together, including a commitment to help operators come up with year-round offerings.

There’s also a pledge to “improve signage, wayfinding and accessibility across the NWT,” though that comes with little detail.

Marketing and communications

The GNWT says it’ll work to improve the way it communicates and collaborates internally, such as between departments, as a starting point.

For the strategy’s second year, a listed priority is: “Identify opportunities to partner with outside sectors such as producers to promote the NWT as a filming location, cold weather testing etc.”

The territory also plans to strengthen the online presence of its parks.

Using data

By the second year of the strategy, the GNWT says it’ll have enough data to start monitoring progress and publishing annual summaries.

The territory previously said data will now be “embedded into all decision-making” to better track progress, adapt and “remain accountable to residents and industry.”

The gap analysis described above is an example of how the NWT intends to draw data upon which it later relies to make decisions.