Mr. Speaker, this is tourism week in the Northwest Territories and is an opportunity to celebrate the unprecedented growth that we have nurtured and witnessed during our time as the 18^th Legislative Assembly. During the life of this Legislative Assembly, visitor numbers in the Northwest Territories have increased by more than 30 percent. This includes a 61-percent increase in Aurora tourism. Our tourism sector is now worth over $203 million, a 48-percent increase in spending over the last five years, and led by a 75-percent growth in spending by leisure tourists, travellers.

As our government continues to support a more diverse economy, this is great news, and it is the kind of success that we look forward to highlighting and celebrating each year at this time.

Mr. Speaker, we are able to celebrate extraordinary growth in our tourism sector because of the commitments that have been made investing in it.

In the 2018-2019 alone, the Government of the Northwest Territories has invested approximately $5 million to support our destination marketer NWT Tourism, tourism operators, Indigenous partners, and community groups in their work to attract and cater to visitors to our spectacular territory.

In the Northwest Territories, our parks play a significant role in attracting summer visitors, and we are set to invest $7 million this year in parks infrastructure and improvements, but tourism infrastructure, marketing, funding supports, training, and a spectacular product only make up a portion of our formula for success. Year in and year out, the people who visit our territory tell us that the best part of their trip is the people.

For this reason, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is once again celebrating Tourism Week with a campaign recognizing NWT residents who personify the qualities of a northern host and ambassador for our territory. Our campaign encourages residents to nominate people on social media who exhibit the warm, welcoming spirit of northern hospitality that our tourism industry is built on. Nominated individuals are eligible for prizes, with two winners awarded in each region.

Last year's campaign unearthed a ton of amazing stories about NWT residents going above and beyond to make folks feel welcome. Nominations have already begun rolling out this for year's campaign and will continue to be received through the end of the week.

I would encourage all Members to join our celebration by sharing a story from their constituency using the hashtag #NWTHost on Facebook or Twitter.

Mr. Speaker, while we celebrate northern hosts, the department will be also offering free Northern-Most-Host workshops throughout the week for tourism operators, hospitality employees, and vendors who interact with the tourism industry. These will be supplemented by networking activities, community barbecues, and other events celebrating tourism across the Northwest Territories. Again, I encourage Members to support events in their riding and join events here in the capital between attending the business of our Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.