Yellowknife’s rise to affluence has traditionally been tied to digging for mineral wealth. And if the city is to continue prospering, it needs to keep digging, all the way to the People’s Republic of China.
The Chinese have developed an insatiable appetite for foreign travel, with 142.7 million outward-bound trips from the country last year, according to figures provided by the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment (ITI).
Every year, 651,000 Chinese tourists visit Canada and an increasing number are coming to the territory.
The number increased almost fourfold to 6,200 last year from 1,800 in 2013. The Chinese are the fourth-most numerous travellers to the territory behind other Canadians, Americans and the Japanese.
As a trade war seems to be brewing with our neighbours south of the border, the Canadian government has been using tourism as way of cozying up to China.
The two countries declared 2018 the year of Canada-Chinese tourism, with the aim to double travel between the two countries by 2025.
Last week we reported that a trade mission to Beijing concluded with the signing of a marketing agreement between NWT Tourism and Flow Creative, a creative agency based in China, which was another positive step in improving the business relationship between the two countries.
Tourism Minister Wally Schumann said the partnership with Flow Creative is going to help the North work its way into China's tourism itinerary.
Like most travellers these days, the Chinese plan their trips online. And since they use their own search engines and social media platforms, it makes sense that the GWNT partner with a firm from the Far East to help get us noticed.
Yellowknife has been doing an admirable job catering to the influx of tourists.
The community’s businesses have been tailoring products and services to the Chinese market. The city’s iconic Explorer Hotel has a Chinese-language option for its website; several local businesses were represented on the recent trade mission including Aurora Village and Yellowknife Tours Ltd.; and for a relatively small city, Yellowknife has a profusion of Asian restaurants.
But it needs to be smart if it wants to maximize this bonanza. Replacing the now defunct Northern Frontier Visitors Centre would be a start and city hall needs to get on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, to trumpet the virtues of this town.
There also needs to be a better understanding of why hordes of tourists would want to come here. It’s not that Yellowknife is like Las Vegas or Disney World or any other of those purpose-built tourist traps.
They’re here because this city is authentically exotic and they’re looking for an in-depth understanding of the North. They want to experience the culture and be exposed to the languages and customs.
Auroras, ice-roads, quirky locals, Indigenous cultures and vast swathes of untouched wilderness are hard to fake.
But authenticity is a complicated thing. One could assume that tourists to the city aren’t here to stroll around the mall and get a cup of Tim’s, which is about as real of a Yellowknife experience as you can get.
And it’s very clear that most Yellowknifers aren’t dogsledding to work like they would have you believe at Aurora Village but, in the end, if a person believes they are getting an authentic experience, it probably does not matter.
This presents an opportunity for Indigenous people. Recently, the Deline Got'ine Government and the Beijing Best Tour Company agreed to a partnership that allows 24 tourists to visit the Grey Goose Lodge in Deline every week.
Once there, they are given a glimpse of Indigenous culture, including drum dances and stories.
While the venture is an excellent opportunity for Deline and is creating jobs in the community, there is no reason that other Indigenous communities closer to Yellowknife, like Ndilo and Dettah, shouldn't also capitalize on this opportunity.
Indeed, construction has already begun on a luxury lodge outside of Dettah on a site that was once used as a residential addictions treatment centre. The $25-million Skywatch Lodge will allow wealthy tourists the opportunity to view the aurora from a heated infinity pool.
Tourism could be tonic for helping preserve Indigenous culture and Indigenous tourism partners should continue to find creative ways of catering to people who want to come here, experience the culture and support the local economy.
We’ll leave it to them to draw the line between tourism and voyeurism