After what some are calling a “record year” for tourism in the Yukon, two industry leaders say the territory’s communities and First Nations are looking forward to a bright future for their tourism sectors.

Paul Robitaille, the marketing and events manager with the Klondike Visitors Association, and Charlene Alexander, the executive director of the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association (YFNCTA), attended the Yukon government’s winter Tourism Summit held Friday.

Both agreed it was a positive experience.

The stated focus of the summit was winter tourism, and that was definitely discussed.

However, it felt more like a workshop on the Yukon Tourism Development Strategy – currently under development – Robitaille told the Star this morning. And that’s not a bad thing, he said.

“Ultimately, for us, I like that idea of looking at tourism as a whole more than just the seasons,” he said.

There were representatives from about 10 communities in attendance, Robitaille pointed out.

Tourism and Culture Minister Jeanie Dendys and Premier Sandy Silver both made reference to Dawson City and the other Yukon communities in their comments to the crowd of more than 150 attendees.

In her closing afternoon address, Dendys said she spent the summer travelling the territory to see what’s happening in all corners of the Yukon.

“The whole thing about beyond Whitehorse, all communities matter. It’s really important; I get that,” she said.

That the government recognizes the need for tourism in the communities is promising for the Klondike – the premier’s riding – as well as other areas across the territory, Robitaille noted.

“We’re happy when we hear that they’re looking at the Yukon as a whole, not just Whitehorse as the Yukon.”

A statement from the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon (TIAY) released last Monday declared 2017 a “tourism boom.”

“This past year has been incredibly successful for tourism in the Yukon – some have even gone so far to say that 2017 was a record year,” said Neil Hartling, TIAY’s chair.

While this assessment is based on conversations with tourism operators in the territory, Blake Rogers, TIAY’s executive director, told the Star that data from the Department of Tourism and Culture generally reflects this year’s tourism success.

The Star could not obtain that 2017 data in time for today’s deadline.

Among a number of factors buoying the sector’s growth as a whole is the rise of winter tourism in the Yukon, according to Hartling.

A Yukon winter tourism info-graphic distributed to Friday’s summit attendees shows that between 2012-2013 to 2016-2017, international overnight visitations and international border crossings have grown by 21 per cent.

Air arrivals at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport have risen by 22 per cent. Retail sales in the territory have climbed by 13 per cent.

In 2012-13, winter tourists spent an average of $151 per person per day, while that number sat at $82 for the summer of 2013.

The past summer was hugely successful for Dawson, Robitaille noted – the best in recent memory for himself and many local businesses.

It’s the colder months when Dawson could really use a tourism boost.

“Winter is where we see there’s a lot of potential,” Robitaille said.

“Dawson is still quite remote, and we’re still not seeing the same trends, necessarily, that they do in Whitehorse.”

The government seems to understand that, he said, and expressed as much at the winter tourism summit.

“They get the idea that the more people are coming to Dawson, the longer people are staying in the Yukon and the more money staying in the territory.”

Alexander cited similar recognition from the Yukon government of the potential presented by Indigenous and cultural tourism in the territory.

“I think it came up probably at every table, the importance of it,” she told the Star of the summit on Monday morning.

The TIAY’s press release acknowledged funding from the Yukon and federal governments for Indigenous tourism this year.

According to a statement from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, January 2017 saw the announcement of $1 million in federal funding over three years for the YFNCTA to support various aspects of Indigenous tourism in the territory.

The TIAY also pointed to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation’s bid to have the Klondike designated a UNESCO world heritage site and the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation’s Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre being nominated for a national Indigenous cultural tourism award as positive developments for the Yukon’s tourism sector.

Alexander said many of the YFNCTA’s members are also interested in exploring winter Indigenous tourism opportunities.

“The future is bright,” she said.