Member Update on COVID-19

Dear Members of NWT Tourism,

We, like many of you, watched the live broadcast today where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced new measures to try to contain the spread of coronavirus, and one of these measures is barring entry to travellers to Canada who are not citizens, permanent residents or Americans. This is in addition to the advisory from the Chief Public Health Officer of the Northwest Territories issued yesterday that says everyone arriving in the NWT from outside of Canada must self-isolate and stay at home for 14 days. Together, these measures are aimed at slowing the spread of the virus and we recognize that the impact on the tourism industry will be profound.

We know that all of you are very concerned about the tourism industry in the NWT, and we also know that you are also concerned about the health and safety of your staff and guests.

We are hearing from members who are reaching out to guests who have previously booked trips with them, cancelling trips with diplomacy and compassion. And we are also hearing from tourism operators whose main priority is assisting guests currently in the NWT to navigate through the processes involved in returning home.  

This focus on protecting the health and safety of staff and residents in northern communities is very important. Our communities in the NWT need all of us to be doing the right thing. Already we are seeing members proactively taking care of the needs of guests to the NWT who find themselves here and needing to get home and this makes us feel very proud of our tourism industry in the NWT. We believe that treating everyone with empathy and compassion shows the world what we in the NWT are made of, and this will undoubtedly affect our ability to rebound when the world pandemic subsides. 

If you missed reading the NWT advisory yesterday, here is the link: https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/information-travellers

To watch Prime Minister Trudeau live or to read the recap of his press conference: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbsa-border-airports-screening-trudeau-covid19-coronavirus-1.5498866

NWT Tourism is currently working out a plan so that we can continue marketing the Northwest Territories as a future travel destination, while being sensitive to the emotional sentiment and focus on safety that is occurring in the world today. We are staying on top of all news and advisories and working to adapt our plans to changes which are occurring daily, if not hourly, on the pandemic front. We will get through this together.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions. 

Cathie Bolstad
Chief Executive Officer
Northwest Territories Tourism

T:  867-873-5007, Extension 1005