The transformative power of tourism was on the agenda for 50 delegates from the Beaufort Delta and Sahtu regions in an intensive workshop this week.

Running March 28 – 30 in Inuvik, the workshops focused on community-based tourism, including product development, marketing, and government support available to pull it all together.

The workshop was the last in a series of community-based tourism workshops facilitated by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Northwest Territories Tourism.

Presenters included representatives from Deline, Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, and the Great Northern Arts Festival, who shared success stories on community-based tourism initiatives; NWT Tourism, who shared their role in marketing tourism in the Northwest Territories; and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, who shared government tourism programming.

Throughout the workshop, attendees talked about current and future tourism offerings, and dedicated discussion to building partnerships between communities and governments.

The workshop is one step the Government of the Northwest Territories is taking to help communities capitalize on a booming tourism industry and build capacity ahead of the influx of visitors which will come with the completion of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway.

Building capacity at the community level is an important piece of Tourism 2020 — the tourism development strategy driving decisions on developing a strong, healthy tourism sector in Northwest Territories communities.