Nunavut Tourism honours territory’s business leaders

Adventure Canada guests enjoy Nunavut’s vistas during a 2013 trip. (PHOTO BY MIKE BEEDELL/ADVENTURE CANADA)

Nunavut Tourism has handed out its annual awards to recognize excellence in the business of tourism across the territory, awarding Adventure Canada with its Business of the Year Award.

Adventure Canada, a family-run travel company offering wilderness trips throughout the Canadian Arctic, was honoured for providing high quality and culturally rich travel experiences to its clients.

“Winning the Business of the Year award is a true honour,” said Cedar Swan, Adventure Canada’s vice-president in a Nov. 19 release. “It’s a privilege to connect our guests with the warm communities and wild landscapes of Nunavut.

“With a great respect for the region and Inuit who call it home, we will continue providing exceptional service and leading by way of example in expedition travel to Canada’s North.”

Adventure Canada has been bringing visitors to Nunavut before it existed as a territory — as far back as 1987 — offering cruise ship voyages called “Arctic Explorer” or “Into the Northwest Passage.”

This is Adventure Canada’s third nod from the tourism body, which previously gave the company its 2013 Outstanding Service Award and a 2008 Award of Excellence.

The company said its customers value the “local connections” Adventure Canada offers, by hiring local staff from Nunavik, Nunavut and Greenland as well as “on-ice” Inuit cultural ambassadors for all its Arctic programs.

The Nunavut Tourism awards were handed out Oct. 25 at the Frobisher Inn in Iqaluit.

The tourism body gave its 2014 Outstanding Service award to the new Enokhok Inn and Suites in Kugluktuk, which opened in June 2013.

Nunavut Tourism added some special recognition awards to this year’s awards ceremony, honouring two people with Lifetime Achievement Awards: Cherri Kemp-Long with CanNor and Pauline Scott who works with Parks Canada.

“Both recipients have made amazing contributions to the tourism industry,” Nunavut Tourism said Nov. 20.

The organization also handed out a special recognition award posthumously to Michael Hart, who worked with Inn’s North Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. and also served as a long-time board member with Nunavut Tourism.