NWT TOURISM ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND 2019 INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

 

The 23rd annual NWT Tourism Conference and Annual General Meeting was held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from November 5-7, 2019.

The program offered training for operators aimed at boosting their presence in a digital world.  It featured a variety of speakers and workshops that showed how unique authentic tourism experiences bring about transformative change in the lives of visitors and it provided examples of how some communities have been transformed in their embrace of tourism as an economic development opportunity. The conference provided NWT industry members an opportunity to provide input into the GNWT Department of Industry, Tourism & Investment's next 5 Year Tourism Development Strategy and it finished by celebrating some of the NWT's best in the industry at the 2019 NWT Tourism Industry Awards gala. 

Close to 200 people attended the industry awards gala. As part of the gala event, donations for a live auction from members of NWT Tourism resulted in $19,600.00 being raised for NWT Tourism's Annual Scholarship Fund. The fund supports NWT Students undertaking post-secondary studies in accredited Tourism & Hospitality Programs.

NWT Tourism also announced that it will be taking its 2020 Conference to the Town of Hay River.

Below is a list of the award winners and of the Board of Directors for 2019/20.

 

2019 NWT TOURISM AWARDS

At the Gala Dinner and Awards, the 2019 Industry Awards were announced as follows:

GNWT Parks Hospitality Award: Debby Mundy, the parks attendant at Hay River Territorial Park. 

Service Excellence Award: Kota Kanamori, Tour Operations Manager, Aurora Village.

Operator of the Year: The Explorer Hotel

Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Freeland, Blachford Lake Lodge

The Board of Directors also named Sue Lindberg as NWT Tourism's first ever Honorary Lifetime Member, acknowledging decades of service to the tourism industry at Lindbergs Landing.

2019/20 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Four Directors were elected to the Board. Those elected include:

Bobby Drygeese (B. Dene Adventures)
Edie Yoder (Hearne Lake Lodge)
Dana Hibbard (Nahanni Wild)
Dan Wong (Jackpine Paddle)

The new Board of Directors is noted below.

Harold Grinde - Chairperson
Gana River Outfitters

Gerry Kisoun - Vice-Chairperson:
Inuvialuit Development Corporation

Verda Law - Treasurer
Yellowknife Tours

Cathy Allooloo - Secretary
Narwal Northern Adventures

Dan Wong - Director
Jackpine Paddle

Bobby Drygeese - Director
B. Dene Adventures

Dana Hibbard - Director
Nahanni Wild

Edie Yoder - Director
Hearne Lake Lodge

James Marlowe –  Director
Akaitcho Territory Government

James McPherson - Director
Sahtu Secretariat

Liza McPherson - Director
Dehcho First Nations

Joy O'Neill  –  Director
Gwich'in Tribal Council

Giselle Marion –  Director
Tlicho Government

Paul Harrington - Director
NWT Metis Nation

Tracy St-Denis - Director Ex-Officio
GNWT - Department of Industry, Tourism & Investment

 

For more information, or for photos of the award winners, please contact:

Cathie Bolstad
Chief Executive Officer
NWT Tourism
Tel:  867-873-5007  Ext. 1005
executive@spectacularnwt.com