The return of leisure travel to the Northwest Territories on March 1 wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 the comeback some tourism operators had hoped for and theySA国际影视传媒檙e finding difficulty in making up for lost time.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 not as rosy as people think when the border opened for tour companies,SA国际影视传媒� said Joe Bailey, owner of North Star Adventures. SA国际影视传媒淲e still got the reality of the fallout from the pandemic. Before the pandemic, we had 15 employees, three vans, a bus going, it was very good.SA国际影视传媒�

Now, North Star is down to four employees, one truck and a bus.

While competing with other tourism companies, much of the season will be spent chipping away at accumulated debt from the past two years of NWT tourism being put on the shelf during the pandemic.

North Star Adventures incurs about $17,000 per month in expenses to keep the business afloat, according to Bailey. Over the past two years, that has accumulated to approximately $400,000, he said.

With regards to government funding support, Bailey said thereSA国际影视传媒檚 not enough to resolve his businessSA国际影视传媒檚 issues.

SA国际影视传媒淚 would say half of that, so maybe, figuratively speaking, 250,000 in debt (remaining),SA国际影视传媒� he said, accounting for the government aid.

Adding to his woes, North Star Adventures had technical difficulties with its website that led to issues with bookings.

SA国际影视传媒淲e were looking pretty good actually for a shortened winter season from March 1 to the middle of April, we were looking pretty good until that happened,SA国际影视传媒� Bailey said. SA国际影视传媒淭hen we lost most customers. The website team was able to get it back up and running about 10 days later.SA国际影视传媒�

Despite the pitfalls, Bailey remains hopeful for the summer aurora season that North Star Adventures has planned.

SA国际影视传媒淩ight now, with only one bus, weSA国际影视传媒檙e planning to sell out 24 seats every night for the 42 days of our season,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Overall, a successful summer aurora season for North Star Adventures will help to chip away at the companySA国际影视传媒檚 financial burden, Bailey acknowledged.

Similarly, Dan Wong, owner of Jackpine Paddle, is also looking forward to the summer season, which is stacking up to be SA国际影视传媒渁n incredibly busy year,SA国际影视传媒� he said. HeSA国际影视传媒檒l be offering various tour packages and equipping customers seeking their own adventures.

SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of people are looking for rentals for their own personal usage,SA国际影视传媒� Wong said.

Financially, Jackpine Paddle is on solid ground due to strong support the organization has received from working with Indigenous communities and non-profit organizations, but Wong has other pressing needs.

SA国际影视传媒淥ur challenges right now are finding enough guides, experienced guides and instructors and finding the gear, because the supply chain isnSA国际影视传媒檛 working at all,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

The cost of doing business has also risen substantially over the past several months.

SA国际影视传媒淚nflation is driving the prices up a lot, you know, for fuel for air charters and our vehicles,SA国际影视传媒� said Wong.