Yukon government to examine territory's outfitting industry

The Yukon government will take a close look at the health of the territory's tourism business with a study it's commissioning on the outfitting industry,a follow-up to a similar study done in 2005.

The goal of the research is to determine how much the outfitting industry contributes to the Yukon economy and how it might grow.

"We'll be looking at the impacts on the community of the outfitting industry," says Barb Dunlop, who is with the Yukon's department of economic development, "and the impacts on the Yukon overall."

Dunlopsays the survey is different from previous research in that itwill take a wider view by looking atsocio-economic impacts, rather than strictly financial ones.

The study will also compare how Whitehorse and the territory'ssmaller communities differ in tourism benefits, and will analyze the impacts of the outfitting industry on First Nations.

According to the Yukon Outfitters Association, there are 19 registered outfitters in the Yukon, offering hunts on animals that includemoose, goat, dall sheep, caribou, black bear, wolf, wolverine and bison.