Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. An open house was held last week in Hay River. A brochure highlighting the tourism industry is being distributed in all NWT communities, and we are working with the Northern Frontier Visitors Association to support the second annual Discover North Tourism Awareness Golf Tournament this Friday.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our tourism industry personnel for their dedication to this important industry and thank them for a job well done. I would also like to take this time to underscore some major initiatives that this government has undertaken in support of the tourism industry.
Through our Tourism 2010 Strategy, we have invested an additional $1 million this year into marketing, product development, infrastructures, human resource training, research and planning; a serious commitment to developing tourism in the Northwest Territories that will generate returns well beyond the five-year focus of our plan.
Earlier this year I approved the appointments for a new Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee to more clearly differentiate between the lobby and marketing mandates of the Northwest Territories Tourism Association. This committee, which consists principally of private sector representatives, will act independently of the paid membership of the association to provide strategic direction in the development of marketing strategies for implementation by Northwest Territories tourism.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, later today I will be introducing a new Tourism Act to replace the Northwest Territories Travel and Tourism Act.
The new Tourism Act will streamline and simplify licensing requirements for tourism operators, and provide a more transparent and user-friendly regulatory environment for members of the NWT tourism industry.
Mr. Speaker, tourism is by far our largest renewable resource. It continues to be a key priority for this government; a commitment that I believe has been reflected in our work to date and in the initiatives outlined to you today. Thank you.
---Applause