Tourism and Culture Fact Sheet (PDF)

TravelYukon.com

 

Unprecedented Access and Infrastructure

Our year-round highway system has more than 4,700 kilometres of roads linking Yukon to Alaska, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, southern Canada and the United States. Whitehorse is home to an international airport, with direct jet service daily from Vancouver, direct jet service to Calgary and Edmonton, and scheduled service to the Northwest Territories. In the summer months, there are scheduled charter flights from Frankfurt, Germany. There are also ten smaller airports throughout Yukon, with many smaller airstrips and aerodromes in remote areas. The nearby port of Skagway, Alaska is a popular cruise ship destination.

 

Tourism Growth

Several major trends suggest that Yukon’s tourism is a growth industry:

• An increase in wilderness, adventure and eco-tourism.
• An emphasis on learning travel experiences.
• The desire for authentic experiences.
• Growth in aboriginal and cultural tourism.
• An increase in off-season winter travel.
• Canada and Yukon’s reputation as a safe destination.

 

Our Cultural Mosaic

Yukon is home to a number of cultures, sharing their unique traditions and customs to create the diversity we Northerners enjoy. People of aboriginal descent (14 Yukon First Nations) constitute about 25% of our population. Yukon is also home to a vibrant Francophone community. Traditional aboriginal art, representative of local cultural traditions, can be found throughout the territory.

 

Yukon is a creative hot spot in Canada. On a per capita basis, Yukon has one of the highest concentrations of artists and artisans in Canada – our communities are home to numerous painters, sculptors, carvers, musicians, writers, weavers and other creative people.

 

The Yukon Arts Centre hosts many vibrant concerts and theatre productions in a modern, fully equipped facility. Music lovers can enjoy a full range of musical performances, from visiting symphony orchestras to rock and roll, country and jazz. There are a number of nightclubs and lounges that feature live music on a nightly basis.

 

Like No Other Place On Earth

Because of its history, natural beauty and a multitude of unique cultural attractions, the Yukon offers many opportunities for tourism investment.

• We are one of the last frontiers where you can view wildlife in its natural habitat. The territory is home to seven species of large mammals including one of North America’s largest populations of Grizzly bears and Dall sheep.  The territory is also home to caribou, black bears, moose, elk, bison, deer, mountain goats and wolves plus a host of small mammals. There are 254 species of birds and 38 species of fish. Yukon is a major migratory route for Trumpeter and Tundra swans, Snow and Brandt geese and other birds.
• Each winter, Yukon experiences a natural phenomenon more spectacular than any fireworks display.  On clear winter nights, the aurora borealis, or northern lights, can be seen dancing across the Yukon sky.
• Yukon’s mountains are spectacular. The territory sits in the Canadian Cordillera, a series of ranges and valleys along the northwest coast of the continent. Kluane National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to Mount Logan, the highest point in Canada and the largest mass of granite in the world, and located in the St. Elias Mountains in southwest Yukon. This range also contains the world's largest non-polar icefield.
• Yukon’s Kluane National Park and adjacent Wrangell–St. Elias Park in Alaska and Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British Columbia collectively form the largest protected area in the world!
• Dawson City and the Klondike in central Yukon were host to the greatest Gold Rush the world has ever known – and active gold mining carries on to this day.
• Yukon people and visitors use the territory's 4,480 square kilometres of freshwater for activities like fishing, kayaking, canoeing and whitewater rafting, during the summer months.
• Yukon is home to Canada's second longest and North America's fourth-longest river, the Yukon River, from which the territory derives its name.
• Yukon also has 200 kilometres of coastline along the Beaufort Sea and one Arctic island (Herschel Island), located five kilometres off the north shore.

 

Tourism-friendly People & Taxes

By the midnight sun or northern lights, Yukon people are famous for their hospitality and year-round commitment to activities. In addition to kayaking, canoeing, fishing and golf during the summer and snow shoeing, skiing, and dog sledding in the winter, Yukon people enjoy a number of summer and winter activities.

 

Tourism in the Yukon is unencumbered by any tax systems that affect tourism activities directly, such as a territorial sales tax or a "bed tax."

 

Yukon Success Story

 

Air North, Yukon's Airline

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The Yukon Advantage

Yukon is a great place to live, to work, and to invest - presenting a positive investment climate with a wide range of programs and incentives. We also have a responsible government, a strong economy, a skilled labour force and a strategic location with access to international export markets. Not to mention, we have a quality of life that is second to none. Learn more.