Merci, monsieur le President. In my Frame Lake riding lies the heart of tourism service in our capital. The Northern Frontier Visitors' Centre is a physical presence and is an online and on-call resource for tourism. The centre is the heartbeat of tourism for Yellowknife.
Just look at the numbers. In 2016, 55,233 people visited the centre. This is a visitation increase of more than 400 per cent from 12,230 visits recorded in 2015. The centre mailed out information packages to 7,402 customers last year. Website visits totalled 155,000 hits. The airport gift shop run by the Northern Frontier Visitors' Association was visited by 35,521 customers, and information requests increased from 3,000 in 2012 to more than 8,600 last year. Canadian visitors account for about a third of the centre's business.
The results, thanks in large part to the centre's information promotion activities, for prospective visitors and walk-in guests tourism is a major economic success story here in Yellowknife. Consider aurora tourism alone: since 2008-2009, aurora viewing visitation in the Northwest Territories centred almost exclusively in Yellowknife has jumped 440 per cent, from 5,500 visitations to 24,300 last year. Spending has soared right along, rising from $10.2 million in 2011-12 to $40 million last year; a 390 per cent increase. As anyone watching the new parkas knows, visiting the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre is a must for most of these tourists.
As anyone who has visited the centre knows, the building is falling apart. The rear portion of the building has been closed, eliminating display space for visitors. Major renovations or a total replacement is inevitable.
A structural engineering study is under way now, co-funded by CanNor and the GNWT. The study will examine key questions. Is there a long-term permanent fix to the structural instability of the building besides a levelling or other system that requires continual monitoring and adjustment? Can the damaged rear portion of the building be removed and an addition be reconstructed? Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted