The public everywhere is fascinated by diamonds. Research indicates that over $57-billion U.S. was spent
worldwide in 2003 on diamond jewellery1. Statistics show that retail diamond sales and the NWT tourism
industry share common demographic markets. Japanese aurora traffic and the United States outdoor
adventure enthusiasts make up the majority of Yellowknife’s tourism trade. Japan and the United States
represent about two-thirds of the total retail diamond market. These two factors identify the direct
correlation between the NWT diamond industry and the NWT tourism industry.