N.W.T. sees boost in business travellers

A boost in construction and aggressive marketing of N.W.T. as a destination for seeing the northern lights are being credited for a recent and significant spike in the number of business travellers to the territory.

The Northwest Territories government recently updated its statistics onthe number of visitors to the territory.

Between 2012 and 2013, the number of business travellers increased by 47 per cent. By comparison, the number of leisure visitorsincreased byeight per cent.

Business travellers account for half ofvisitors' spending in N.W.T. an estimated $71 million last year. The category includespeople who come north for meetings, conferences, or short, less-than-two-week workstints.

RichardZieba, the N.W.T.'s director of tourism and parks, partlycredits a more-than-$200-million increase in capital construction for the uptick in business travel.

"Construction drives meetings," he said. "In addition to all the folks you need to build things, engineers come up, meetings are held."

Come for meetings, stay for the aurora

Ziebaalso says N.W.T. is being successfully marketed as place to attend or hold conferences and when the conferences let out take in unique sights like the northern lights.

"This fall we had the Travel and Tourism Research Association hold their annual general meeting here. I know a number of people came up earlier, or they stayed after.They did trips around Yellowknifeand were pretty keen about seeing the aurora."

According to TracyTherrien, executive director of Yellowknife's Northern Frontier Visitors Centre, some of these conference attendees are being lured to Yellowknife because their expenses are covered by their employers. That makesit more enticing, not to mention economic, for them to bring company.

"We see that all the time," she said. "Somebody's here on business so they're bringing their children or their spouse with them."

A one-person conference bureau charged with boosting the number of meetings and conventions in the territory began operating in Yellowknife this past summer.