Polar bear fans and Trump foes boost Qikiqtarjuaq tourism

There are several kinds of tourists who embark on trips to the Arctic, says a longtime Qikiqtarjuaq outfitter.

A lot of “polar bear fanatics” come to Qikiqtarjuaq to take photos of bears outside of the community, says Billy Arnaquq. He took the photos of two mother bears with their cubs in spring 2025. (Photo courtesy of Billy Arnaquq)

There are “adventurers” — usually older folks with money who want to be able to say they have been to the Arctic.

Also, there are “polar bear fanatics.”

“They would do anything for a really nice photo,” said Billy Arnaquq, an outfitter in Qikiqtarjuaq for 31 years.

Just in March and April, he said, he counted 41 bears outside town.

Arnaquq started by helping hikers get to Auyuittuq National Park. Now he owns Nunavut Experience Outfitting, which operates two camps outside Qikiqtarjuaq equipped with cabins, stoves, solar panels, satellite internet, small heaters and showers.

This summer, there was a new category of travellers who gave a big boost to Qikiqtarjuaq’s tourism numbers — Canadians who refuse to travel to the U.S.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Arnaquq said. “Man, this year we had a lot more people.”

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, many Canadians have opted out of travelling south of the border, with an almost 30 per cent decrease in August compared to same time in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

Many chose to instead travel in Canada, including to the Arctic.

Qikiqtarjuaq saw 200 to 300 tourists visit Auyuittuq National Park this summer, compared to 100 or 200 in previous years.

“As long as Trump is in power, maybe more Canadians will travel within Canada,” Arnaquq said.

Both of his camps can accommodate up to 12 people, and he’s expanding one so it can hold another four people.

Government initiatives have supported northern tourism, including the Canada Strong pass that gave tourists free one-day admission to national historic sites this summer, including national parks and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada.

That includes Auyuittuq National Park.

At the same time, the paperwork, federal permitting and licensing that all outfitters need to go through can sometimes take several years to complete, Arnaquq said.

“I mean it’s important for safety,” he said of the permitting process. “But people don’t have the experience or even money to follow all the rules and can get discouraged.

“Maybe the new [territorial] government could support businesses when they’re trying to get approvals from the federal government. Maybe training on the ground?”

Now, Arnaquq said, is a good time to try to make Qikiqtarjuaq one of the North’s main tourism hubs.

The president of Travel Nunavut agrees.

“There is also huge potential in the community with the upcoming Qikiqtarjuaq deepsea port being built” by Qikiqtaaluk Corp. and Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corp., Alex Stubbing said in an email.

“The creation of this port will ultimately have economic spinoffs (airport, runway, hotels, restaurants).”

Travel Nunavut is a territorial government agency that, among other things, is tasked with making travel a $1-billion industry by 2030. However, leisure travel would make up a small part of that amount with medical and work travel accounting for most of it, said Ed Romanowski, chair of Travel Nunavut.

For Arnaquq, it’s mostly up to the people — not governments — to make Qikiqtarjuaq and the rest of Nunavut a hospitable place tourists want to come to.

“It’s about our attitude. Many of my clients become my friends that come back over and over again,” he said, adding that the Arctic itself will do the rest of the job.

“I always say, on Pangnirtung side, park is the main thing, but here, park is just a bonus. It’s not just bears, it’s birds, icebergs, beautiful mountains — I think it’s the most beautiful place.”