Hibernation season is over in Dawson City, Yukon, as businesses, town prepare to welcome tourists this summer
There is still plenty of snow on the ground in Dawson City, Yukon, but it hasn’t stopped the town from feeling like summer is right around the corner.
Many of the town’s seasonal businesses, once boarded up for the winter, have now pulled the boards down in preparation for the upcoming tourist season.
Ricardo Ramirez owns La Taqueria, a canteen that serves up authentic Mexican food. He ran his restaurant through the town’s recreation centre over the winter but recently moved back into his main Front street location.
“We’re a week away from opening,” Ramirez told CBC News. “It’s always an exciting time of year.”
Ramirez said a not-so-exciting part about opening up this year is that he’s had to increase his prices in response to the high price of beef and other products. He said he’s trying to keep his prices low, but customers will have to pay a little bit more. Something he said he doesn’t think customers will mind.
“We always try to be affordable for the community but at the same time, we’ve got to be realistic,” he told CBC News.
Andy Cunningham is the marketing and events manager for the Klondike Visitors Association.
He too, said he doesn’t think the current trade conflict or high fuel prices will have any major impact on tourism to Dawson this year. He said travelling to Dawson City, or the Yukon, is intentional and not normally done on a whim.
“A lot of the tour groups that have been coming up have been booked for a year at this point,” Cunningham said. “I find in a place like Dawson, that’s so far away, you’re not doing a last-minute trip. Mostly people have been planning this trip for such a long time that they’re coming no matter what.”
Cunningham said he’s excited for tourists to visit and see all of the new businesses that have popped up over the past year. He said there are tons of family friendly activities in store for people, and it’s already shaping up to be a great summer in Dawson despite it still being spring.
“We’ve had a lot of people reaching out about booking,” Cunningham said. “There’s a lot of bookings happening. The [Dawson City] music festival is doing better ticket sales then they have in years. Before you know it it’s going to be a busy town again.”
Dawson resident Natasha Ayoub is also excited that the town is waking up from what she said felt like a long winter.
“I feel like it got busier a bit earlier this year,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a busy season. It’s good.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Yukon Quest sled dog race returning in 2027, organizers say, CBC News
Finland: Record winter tourist season for Finnish Lapland, Yle News
Greenland: New Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq flight aims to boost Greenland tourism, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Iceland moving ahead on better ways to manage tourism & safeguard protected areas, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Arctic tourism in Norway: “People crash into trees and get broken bones”, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Reindeer herding affected by increased tourism in Swedish mountains, Radio Sweden
United States: U.S. tariffs threatening Indigenous tourism rebound in North, Eye on the Arctic
