Rio Tinto, operator of the Diavik Diamond Mine, is partnering with NWT Tourism, providing $20,000 for two initiatives


Dear Members,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to share that NWT Tourism has received a $20,000 commitment from Rio Tinto, the operator of the Diavik Diamond Mine, in support of two separate initiatives. 

Rio Tinto continues to show its commitment to support northern organizations and communities during the pandemic. This commitment to the tourism industry goes well beyond its operations in the NWT.

Our community connections continue to be critical during times of the pandemic crisis and having the support from Rio Tinto augments the continuous support we are receiving from our main funding partners, in particular the Government of the Northwest Territories. We continue to be stronger together.

The two initiatives include:

  • Funds set aside for a scholarship for NWT students who wish to pursue further training or education in the tourism field. This fund will be called the "Rio Tinto Indigenous Student Tourism Scholarship".  A total of $10,000 will go towards this fund;  $2,000 will be dispersed each year for the next 5 years. 
  • The second allotment of funds will be used for the Digital Tourism Bootcamp training which is currently underway. $10,000 will support Indigenous tourism operators who are members of NWT Tourism to take the training.

Calls for applications for the NWT Tourism Scholarship program will be initiated in the coming months. 

For the Digital Training Bootcamp, we currently have several Indigenous tourism operators signed up to take this program, courtesy of Rio Tinto. We would like all members to know that there are several spots left for the training. From what we are hearing from tourism operators who have taken this free training, it has been very valuable and helpful to our industry members. If you are interested in taking the training, please see more information here. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rio Tinto for their continued commitment to our industry. This is the second time Rio Tinto has partnered with NWT Tourism in the past year, and their continued support is very much appreciated. We value this partnership and are very grateful to receive this support.

Kindest Regards,

Donna Lee Demarcke
CEO, NWT Tourism 
Email: executive@spectacularnwt.com
Phone: 867-873-5007, Extension 1005.