City of Yellowknife to take over visitor services

The City of Yellowknife is hiring four people to offer visitor services out of a boardroom at city hall two full-time positions and two-part positions.

Council voted to pull funding from the recently closed Northern Frontier Visitors Center on Sept. 25 and move the money to the new initiative.

"We are working hard to ensure that there will not be a gap in service to our visitors this winter aurora season,"said MayorHeyck, in a city news release.

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"We understand the importance and value that tourism creates for our economy and are striving to ensure visitors are warmly welcomed and provided the necessary information once they arrive."

The Northern Frontier Visitors Association, whichran the previous centre, had to vacate its building earlier this year due to structural issues and was not able to secure a new permanent location.

It hasoperated temporarily out of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, however, that service will cease at the end of this month.

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The city says the new visitor services will operate starting Oct. 1 and continue until Mar. 31, 2018. It will operate in the large boardroom on the ground levelof City Hall.

In the meantime, the city says it will work with the territorial government and other partners to develop a more long-term solution,which may include the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Community Government of Behchoko and the Tlicho Government.

The city will also consider implementingan accommodation levy if it decides to take on permanent visitor services in Yellowknife.

As for The Northern Frontier Visitors Association, it will meet on Monday to decide whether it will continue to operate as an advocacy group or disband entirely.

The association recently laid off the majority of its staff.The former employees,who aretrained in assisting tourists in Yellowknife, will needto apply for the newly created visitor services positions created by the city.

Interviews will be held at the multiplex on Monday.