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The City of Yellowknife (City) is invested in seeing the tourism sector thrive again and reach its full potential as a job creator and economic driver. The City, with funding provided by Industry, Tourism and Investment, recently awarded a contract to InterVISTAs Consulting Inc. for development of a new strategic plan for Yellowknife’s tourism sector.

Prior to COVID-19, tourism was one of the fastest growing sectors of the Yellowknife economy. There are hundreds of local jobs in tourism and scores of local businesses that couldn’t exist without tourists.

The City of Yellowknife completed a Tourism Strategy for 2015-2019.  At its expiration, the impacts of COVID-19 were already beginning to be felt by tourism operators in the City.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, serious financial losses have been experienced by local businesses in the travel and tourism industry, an industry that came to a standstill due to the lockdowns and strict travel restrictions applied to prevent the spread of the virus. As a result, the pandemic also necessitates some changes in tourism marketing methods and strategies.

To create the strategy, public engagement sessions, interviews with industry representatives and staff from other levels of government will take place.  

The new Tourism Strategy will provide a post-COVID outlook for Yellowknife and the surrounding area, and establish a vision for the future. The final strategy, which includes a comprehensive analysis and action plan, is expected to be completed Fall 2023.