More tourists will visit the Yukon in 2012 due to three factors.
1. Starting 17-May-12, Westjet will begin flights to Whitehorse from Vancouver, offering an introductory fare of $99 + taxes. This announcement was quickly matched by Air North and Air Canada. Effectively there is a peak season price war amongst the three air carriers. Tourist traffic is spurred by this. Condor Air will continue its direct flights from Germany.
2. Most of the Yukon’s tourist traffic comes across the border in personal vehicles or on buses. The Yukon government predicts 320,000 border crossings in 2011. The largest contributor to border crossings are US visitors, and their numbers were down in 2011 due to a weak economy. In 2012, an improvement in economic growth and lower unemployment in the US should lead to an increase in the border crossing numbers.
3. The Arctic Winter Games being held in Whitehorse in Mar-2012 will boost visitation numbers, with more than 2,000 athletes and perhaps 1,500 visitors/press/coaches, etc. attending as well.
The Yukon keeps building on its success including 18 museums and cultural attractions throughout the territory and the Klondike Gold Rush attractions at Dawson City.