Ice-free summers spur Arctic tourism
NORTHWEST PASSAGE: Small Nunavut hamlet overwhelmed by influx of passengers from cruise ship
Long a stopover for Arctic explorers, on Monday the Nunavut hamlet of Cambridge Bay saw the largest single invasion of visitors in its history.
More than 900 passengers from MS Crystal Serenity swarmed ashore after the 10-storey behemoth anchored off the remote port in the Canadian Arctic.
The vessel is the largest cruise ship to sail through the Northwest Passage.
The visitors — mainly retirees, wearing identical red jackets — peppered locals with questions.
“Do you live here all year?” was the most popular, followed closely by “What’s the winter like?” (Answers, “yes” and “cold”)
Cambridge Bay has been a stopover for ships since the days of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen more than a century ago.
But Monday’s influx almost overwhelmed the settlement and its 1,500 inhabitants — if only for a few hours.
“There’s some quiet grumbling from people, but mostly with humour — ‘There they are, walking all over the road again,’” said Vicki Aitaok, the community’s cruise ship co-ordinator.
“People are pretty good-natured, we haven’t gotten any ‘We don’t want you here.’”
In fact, the one-day excursion proved to be an excellent opportunity for locals to make a buck.
Artists flew in from neighbouring communities hoping to score a sale, while residents signed up to work as guides, caterers, cultural representatives and security guards.
“Mark your calendars! Lots of jobs available,” read one announcement on a Cambridge Bay Facebook page.
The effect is that, for a few hours on Monday, the Crystal Serenity effectively rented Nunavut’s fifth-largest community.
“They seem to be everywhere you look,” one resident told the National Post.
In a month-long voyage, the Crystal Serenity is traversing the Northwest Passage from west to east, with stops along the Arctic coast en route to New York.
There are no deepwater ports in Nunavut, so at Cambridge Bay the 250-metre-long vessel must anchor offshore and ferry passengers by Zodiac to an area outside town known as the “gravel pit.”
Stepping past two red-serged Mounties posted at the beach, the visitors waded into a “culture camp” of dancers and singers.
Then, hired cars and vans took them the 10 kilometres into town. They were greeted by a food fair at the high school, an arts and crafts festival at the community hall, and an open house at the Anglican church, with guides posted at key locations to point wanderers in the right direction.
And as with all Nunavut tourists, many slipped into the local Northern Store to be astonished by the high prices residents must pay for everyday staples.
“Almost every local business is involved some way or other, either by their transportation or catering or providing products or services,” said Aitaok.
As the town flooded with sightseers, the ship’s crew ferried a delegation, including Mayor Jeannie Ehaloak, hamlet councillors and the two Mounties, back to the Crystal Serenity for a reception in its marble rotunda.
Just a few weeks ago in the waters off Cambridge Bay, Norwegian salvage crews successfully floated the Maud, a ship brought to the area by Amundsen.
The wooden hulk is a reminder that Cambridge Bay’s location has made it a travel hub since the earliest days of Arctic exploration.
Cruise vessels have been dropping in on the community for almost 25 years. But until now, they had been “expedition ships,” small high-end charters staffed with expert lecturers and patronized by wealthy Arctic-philes.
The arrival of the Crystal Serenity ushers in an era of mass tourism made possible by increasingly icefree summers. Cambridge Bay joins such coastal cities as Victoria, Quebec City, Dawson City and Halifax on the cruise ship itinerary.
Aitaok said Monday’s visit was more “rushed” than the typical cruise ship visit, with organizers trying to to ensure the passengers made it back to the ship on time.
“We’re just not used to that, it’s hard to make a connection with someone when you’re rushed,” she said.