Hay River leverages government funds to expand tourism capacity

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Tourism funding announced by the federal government May 28, 2021 is already at work in Hay River.

Supported by $57,500 received from the GNWT through ITI’s Community Tourism Coordinator Program ($50,000) and Tourism Product Diversification and Marketing Program ($7,500), the combined government investment is helping the town re-imagine its tourism offerings to attract a greater variety and number of travelers to the ‘Hub of the North’.

Government of Canada investment supports tourism industry in Northwest Territories

Hay River’s Tourism & Economic Development Coordinator Peter Magill says the recent funding will allow the town to implement its recently-developed three-year Tourism Marketing Plan. The plan has several key goals:

  • Grow the local tourism market by positioning Hay River as an Ideal location for weekend getaways and family vacations for residents of the NWT, and Northern Alberta.
  • Grow the general touring market by encouraging travelers to venture off the main highway and to spend time in Hay River and the surrounding region.
  • Position Hay River as an ideal location to host conferences, meetings, trade shows, and other events.
  • Increase the number of sport tourism events held in the community.
  • Increase the number of aurora viewing tourists beginning with the late summer/early fall road touring market, and to grow shoulder season tourism traffic. 
  • Support and promote the development and marketing of Indigenous tourism in Hay River and partner with other communities/regions to develop a multi-day Indigenous tourism package.

Funding received from ITI and NWT Tourism is supporting the creation of digital content marketing the town as a tourism destination and as the ‘Hub for Adventure’ into the South Slave Region. This material will be a component of the new Hay River stand-alone tourism website and future tourism marketing and promotion.

With travel restrictions in place last year, “Hay-cations” were promoted to NWT residents in 2019-20. Over 26,000 visitors came to see what the second-largest community in the NWT had to offer.