This is the first installment in a multi-part series on the tourism sector in Nunavut post-pandemic.

The worst of the pandemic may be over, but tourism businesses in Nunavut are still feeling the effects of the crisis.

Some have even quietly closed their doors for good, such as Bathurst Inlet Lodge, which had been offering ecotourism experiences in the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 Kitikmeot region since 1969.

SA国际影视传媒淭he lodge shut down due to Covid and it has not been able to reopen,SA国际影视传媒� said co-owner Boyd Warner, who still operates a smaller-scale hunting operation that has SA国际影视传媒渞ebounded 100 per cent.SA国际影视传媒�

The decision to close Bathurst Inlet Lodge came down to costs SA国际影视传媒� not just the costs of surviving the pandemic, but recovering from a couple of years of lost business.

SA国际影视传媒淥nce we lost two years of marketing, two years of wear and tear on the building, it was just undoable for us,SA国际影视传媒� Warner said. SA国际影视传媒淚n order to reopen it, it would require a substantial investment of money.

SA国际影视传媒淲e just donSA国际影视传媒檛 have the resources to put back into it. There is no plans to reopen for ecotourism.SA国际影视传媒�

To shut its doors was a tough blow.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 very sad to see that legacy pass,SA国际影视传媒� Warner said.

In Gjoa Haven, CAP Enterprises, which formerly offered adventure tours and support for film crews, also had to shut down that part of its operations.

Co-founder Charlie Cahill estimates the companySA国际影视传媒檚 tourism business brought in $15,000 to $50,000 annually prior to Covid-19, depending on the year. Once the pandemic took hold, that number plummeted to zero.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen Covid came, everything dropped right off,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淔or a couple years, we had no bookings at all. It was just money going out.SA国际影视传媒�

According to Cahill, tourism in Gjoa Haven was already dwindling before the pandemic due to the SA国际影视传媒減rohibitiveSA国际影视传媒� costs of flying there. And in the aftermath of the crisis, he believes many people SA国际影视传媒渨anted to go to Mexico or somewhere hot, not the Arctic.SA国际影视传媒�

He has received a few inquiries from potential customers in the last year, but didnSA国际影视传媒檛 accept them due to the costs of ramping back up.

CAP Enterprises was the only established company of its kind in Gjoa Haven, as SA国际影视传媒渢here wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 enough work for two companies,SA国际影视传媒� according to Cahill. He believes Covid was SA国际影视传媒渢he death knell of tourism in the area.SA国际影视传媒�

Both Warner and Cahill said they relied on various kinds of government support in hopes of keeping their businesses afloat through the pandemic. However, the support only went so far.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was more just a Band-Aid for the short term,SA国际影视传媒� said Cahill.

Complicated applications

Many of the tourism businesses that survived the pandemic are still recovering, including Arctic Kingdom, which operates in 11 communities and is one of the biggest such companies in the territory.

During the pandemic, Arctic Kingdom relied on a SA国际影视传媒渜uilt-workSA国际影视传媒� of federal and territorial government programs that made SA国际影视传媒渁 big difference,SA国际影视传媒� according to founder and owner Graham Dickson.

However, Dickson acknowledged those programs may not have been as useful to smaller companies due to rigorous SA国际影视传媒渢hresholdsSA国际影视传媒� on the kinds of businesses that were eligible, as well as complicated application processes.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a full-time accountant who dedicated a lot of time to monthly applications and paperwork,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭he filing requirements to qualify for everything were fairly sophisticated, which would be beyond many smaller companies.SA国际影视传媒�

Even with government support, Arctic Kingdom struggled through the pandemic.

SA国际影视传媒淚n the moment, you were never sure when the Covid curtain was going to lift,SA国际影视传媒� said Dickson. SA国际影视传媒淚t was a fairly constant planning and re-planning of whatever was coming up, basically quarter by quarter. That took a lot of resources.SA国际影视传媒�

While Arctic Kingdom is gradually bouncing back, Dickson believes there are new issues deterring people from travelling, ranging from environmental concerns to inflation.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 somewhat of a different world,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭he sensitivity and desire to travel has changed to some degree.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 no question that weSA国际影视传媒檙e not operating on the same models and same ratios that were there prior to Covid. There just seems to be new challenges ahead.SA国际影视传媒�

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not all bad news for NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 tourism industry.

Black Feather, a large adventure tourism company that operates in five Nunavut communities, is currently doing good business. While co-owner Ken MacDiarmid was not ready to say the company has completely bounced back from the pandemic, he was busy enough that he did not have time to be interviewed on the phone.

SA国际影视传媒淚 can report that our recovery is under way,SA国际影视传媒� he wrote in an email. SA国际影视传媒淲e are running many trips this spring and summer in Nunavut and it has been really nice to be back in the communities and out on the land. We are very grateful to all of our partners for keeping their businesses open and welcoming us back.SA国际影视传媒�

However, even he acknowledged the ongoing obstacles of running a tourism business in Nunavut, pointing to SA国际影视传媒渁viation challenges, particularly the reduction in Canadian North scheduled services.SA国际影视传媒�