ADVOCACY, RESEARCH & SUPPORT
- Met with the Minister of Tourism to discuss issues facing wilderness tourism operators and emphasize the value of wilderness tourism to the Yukon.
- Worked extensively in partnership with Department of Tourism on issues affecting operators, including many of the following.
- Extensive lobbying and meeting with Transport Canada for changes to the Marine Liability Act regulations, Special Vessel (Raft) Regulations and exemptions which allow float planes to carry External Loads
- Successfully lobbied Parks Canada to not follow through with planned fee and license hikes for operators this year.
- Sent a WTAY representative to the Council of Tourism Associations Insurance and Financing Symposium in Vancouver
- Worked with Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Ad-Hoc Working Group for an Insurance Solution for Outdoor Tourism and the Tourism Action Society of the Kootenays on national solutions to liability insurance problems.
- Worked with Lands Branch, Tourism Department and Economic Development to research and begin developing commercial wilderness land use policy.
- Sent a WTAY representative to WTA BC / Lands & Water BC workshop to research land policy, tenure issues and solutions.
- Reviewed land applications submitted to the Land Application Review Committee to monitor for possible conflicts with wilderness tourism activities.
- Met with Oil & Gas Branch to comment on proposed Best Practices and mitigation and submitted concerns about nominations for oil and gas bids in Peel Plateau.
- Monitored Park and Land Use Plans for conflicts with wilderness tourism operators.
- Attended Champagne Aishihik First Nation open house on forestry strategy to promote tourism as an economically beneficial industry.
- Attended Teslin Land Use Planning open house to raise awareness of wilderness tourism as a sustainable use of resources.
- Met with Four Mountains Resort representative to discuss land use, wilderness tourism product and markets.
- Received members’ comments on off-road vehicle use and made submission to Fish & Wildlife Management Board.
- Met with representatives from the Agriculture Branch and submitted concerns about ancillary (tourism) uses for agricultural land.
- Met with Tourism Department to provide input on wilderness tourism’s statistical needs from Visitor Exit Surveys.
- Made recommendation on proposed Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment regulations.
- Represented the wilderness tourism industry at Game Farm Meetings
- Made submission on Wildlife Act Regulations.
- Lobbied to extend contract of Employer Consultant position on Workers Compensation Board issues.
- Notified members about implications of Bill – C45 on the Criminal Code of Canada expanding Criminal Liability of employers and employees.
- Worked with the Northern Air Transport Association to extend exemptions for aircraft to carry external loads.
- Expressed WTAY’s support for cultural, learning and wilderness tourism infrastructure in Waterfront Development
- Expressed WTAY’s support for the Yukon Arctic Ultra Race 2004
- Representative attended Whitehorse Watershed Management Plan Open House to assess impacts on wilderness tourism operators
- Reviewed draft National Tourism Strategy.
- Attended Destination Carcross Summit and discussed issues of mutual interest.
- Attended Forestry Policy consultations to represent wilderness tourism
- Represented WTAY at meetings with Air Canada/Zip to discuss air access issues.
- Discussed guide training and distributed survey on Wilderness Pursuits program for Yukon College.
- Supported Parks Canada’s proposal for World Heritage Sites product club.
- Applied for and received Environmental Awareness Fund to develop a brochure on Best Environmental Practices on Rivers.
- Developing a Best Environmental Practices Program, which includes a river clean up, impact monitoring, public education brochure and website and promotion of No Trace training.
- Held a one day workshop on Best Environmental Practices for River Travel.
- Gave presentation to Governor General’s Leadership Study Group on the development of Best Practices.
- Gave presentation to TIAY AGM delegates on developing a Code of Ethics.
- Provided WTAY’s Code of Conduct as a template for tourism development to Carcross Tagish First Nation.
- Provided Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation with information on WTAY’s activities to reduce impacts from wilderness travel.
- Provided WTAY’s Code of Conduct and the Wilderness Tourism Licensing Act as templates for tourism standards to the Sustainable Model of Arctic Regional Tourism (SMART) Council and attended the SMART presentation.
- Brazil invited a WTAY representative to present Yukon’s Wilderness Tourism Licensing Act at the Adventure Tourism Expo in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
- Made support for WTAY’s Code of Conduct a condition of WTAY Membership.
- Continued to partner with the North to Knowledge Learning Tourism Product
Club to promote educational tourism as a value-added component to wilderness
tourism and delivered free seminars to our members on:
- Photography, Copywrite and the Law
- Developing your Website
- Evaluating your Website
- Risk Management and Liability
- Developing Partnerships
- Women’s Educational Travel
- Tourism Insurance Seminar
- Best Environmental Practices on Rivers
- Worked with the Department of Tourism to provide Wilderness & Tourism Business Basics training in Yukon communities
- Compiled, distilled and delivered meeting, event and issue information in more than 40 E-News Bulletins to members and affiliated organizations.
- Promoted other organizations events and opportunities to our members
- Welcomed 19 new members to the Association
- Provided leads to members wanting to hire guides and guides looking for jobs
- Distributed WTAY information to 83 non-members and affiliates to encourage membership and participation in WTAY activities.
- Formalized Affiliate and Exchange membership categories.
- Participated in trip to Yukon communities with TIAY, Yukon Convention Bureau
and Department of Tourism representatives and met with
- Silver Trail Tourism Association
- Klondike Visitors Association
- Visitor Reception Centres
- St. Elias Convention Centre
- Kluane First Nations
- and many tourism businesses.
- Represented WTAY Members at meetings and correspondence to
- Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon
- Canadian Tourism Commission
- Tourism Cooperative Marketing Fund Committee
- Tourism Industry Association of Canada
- All levels of government and many other organizations.
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Notable successes of the 2003-2004 program include:
- Initiation of a web strategy analysis including a homepage analysis and statistical review of www.yukonwild.com
- Continued successful partnership with CTC funding programs
- Development of a direct mail winter retail promotion piece with Tourism Yukon and the CTC
- Development of a multi-year winter / summer wilderness lure map
- Partnered with YTG in the Mountain Hardware UK Promotion
- Leveraged Money US: WTAY through Yukon Wild was able to leverage an additional $100,000 from the Canadian Tourism Commission's Joint-Venture Marketing program for US marketing;
- Leveraged Money Canada: WTAY through Yukon Wild was able to leverage an additional $25,000 from the Canadian Tourism Commission's Regional Marketing Initiatives program for Canadian marketing;
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Industry Buy-In:
2001-2002 - 13 members
2002-2003 – 24 members
2003-2004 – 26 members - More equitable program: Response proved positive to the revised program buy in levels developed in 2002-2003. The tiered buy-in approach has encouraged participation from smaller or start-up tourism businesses at a minimum buy-in of $100. Originally, the program cost $1000 for all operators. 2003-2004 saw an increase from 24 to 26 YukonWILD participants;
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Web achievements:
- Web visitation www.yukonwild.com
April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004: 61,342 visitors, averaging approximately 190 visitors per day. The average length of stay was 10 minutes and 7 seconds.
April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003: 35,297 visitors, averaging 116 visitors per day.
Determined exposure levels on wwwyukonwild.com according to membership status:
Fireweed Members : 6,747 hits
Raven Members : 1,017 hits
Sub-Alpine Fir : data not available - Determine Top Site referrals :
www.touryukon.com: 5,817 visitors (April 1, 03 to March 31, 04)
Visitation from the touryukon.com website significantly increased in 2004 when the site was redeveloped and www.yukonwild.com was prominently linked on the homepage.
away.com + gorp.com : 670 referrals (Jan. 1, 03 to March 31, 04)
www.backpacker.com : 527 referrals ( April 1, 03 to Dec. 31, 03)
non-referred visitors : Yukonwild.com received the greatest number of visitors shown as “no referrals”. These statistics can indicate that people typed www.yukonwild.com directly into their web browser address bar instead of simply clicking on a link provided through a contest or active browser. Also, links to Yukon Wild sent via personal e-mail are not traceable.
Top Web-referrals: 52.99% No referral, 9% touryukon.com, 6% yahoo.com (Overature), 4.5% MSN (Overature), 3.8% Google, 3.01% Backpacker.com
- Web visitation www.yukonwild.com
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Additional YukonWILD initiatives: There are numerous initiatives
generated through the marketing program including:
- CTC funding partnerships
- Away.com travel writer
- Away.com integrated media campaign
- Canadian Geographic Winter Travel Guide Promotion
- Canadian Geographic Integrated Media campaign
- Continuation of Yukon Wild at Heart Newsletter
- Backpacker Integrated Media campaign
- Explore Magazine advertising
- AMC Outdoors – US advertising
- Outside Magazine advertising
- Hooked on the Outdoors advertising
- Canadian Business magazine advertising
- Adventure Travel Media Source Media Kit
- Exploration of GIANT promotion with YTG
- Participation of Columbia / Sorel Promotion with YTG
- Attendance at Canada’s Media Marketplace with the Yukon Department of Tourism & Culture
- Attendance at Rendezvous Media Marketplace with the Yukon Department of Tourism & Culture
- Stories posted on various websites;
- Distribution of market research to members;
- Affiliations with Product Clubs;
- Operator Advocacy
- Government "Fam" trip participation
