July 27, 2018
A cabin on the shores of the Arctic Ocean is now helping visitors from around the world explore the treasures of Tuktoyaktuk.
When the new Visitor’s Information Centre opened its doors at a spot known as The Point to locals on July 18, nearly 100 visitors from across the globe were greeted by the friendly faces of Hamlet staff welcoming new friends to the Land of the Pingos.
By all accounts, the volume has kept close to that level since.
The building has quickly become a hub not only for those looking for information, but those looking to take selfies and meet locals.
“It has been incredible to see people from Europe, Japan, and many other places visiting,” says Minerva Ward, Regional Tourism Development Officer with the GNWT’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. “We’ve seen a lot of smiling faces.”
Ward helped coordinate the GNWT’s involvement in the project — a $22,000 investment through the Community Tourism Infrastructure Contribution program.
Minerva Ward enjoys the spectacular sights
The funds gave the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk the resources they needed to get the site up-and-running.
But the project needed more than just funds. Visitor centres are key hubs of information collection. That requires training to make sure staff are schooled on the best practices of visitor servicing and data collection.
“We were able to send an expert from the Western Arctic Regional Visitor Centre to provide training and set up administrative and data collection process,” explains Ward. “It was important that we helped set them up for success.”
One final cherry on top — the GNWT also put up a new Arctic Ocean sign near the centre so selfie-seeking adventurers can boast to their friends about their journeys north.
It was all part of the GNWT’s work to support the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk in their bid to capitalize on the opportunities of the Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
More broadly, it supported the government’s mandate to provide high-quality tourism facilities in a bid to expand the growing tourism industry — the territory’s biggest opportunity area for diversifying the economy.
