Air Canada offering year-round non-stop flights between Yellowknife and Vancouver

Travellerswill find it much easier to travel between Yellowknife and Vancouver this winter Air Canada announced it is planning to offer two daily non-stop flights during the popular northern aurora viewing season.

One flight, which was previously offered from December 2017 to April 2018 will be returning beginning in late October this year and will double during the winter season. The second flight will now be offered year-round, according to ajoint news release from the territorial government and Air Canada issued Wednesday.

• FROM 2011 |No Air Canada Vancouver-Yellowknife service affects tourism

The statement says the flights were part of discussions during a recent China Trade Mission in response to the Northwest Territories booming tourism industry.

"When it comes to growing the Northwest Territories' tourism industry, accessibility is key,"Minister of Industry, Tourism and InvestmentWally Schumann, said in thestatement.

"Enhanced accessibility also means that visiting communities beyond the capital city will become quicker and easier."

Schumann noted that 2018 isthe Year of Canada China Tourism and there have been a growing number of visitors to the territory from Asia.

"Since launching this [seasonal] route last winter, we have seen a growing demand for travel to Canada's Northwest Territories from Asia, particularly from Japan," said Benjamin Smith, president and CEO at Air Canada, in the statement.

The year-round non-stop flight will begin on Sept.5. The seasonal non-stop flight will run from Oct.28, 2018 to the end of April 2019.

According to the release, the territory's tourism industry saw more than 100,000 visitors in 2016-2017, bringing in a record $201.40 million with aurora viewers accounting for 23 per cent of visitors.