Get in line: Dawson City streets 'bustling' with tourists

Tourists appear to be stampeding into Dawson City.

"Dawson City is booming this year," said Jackie Olson, executive director at the Klondike Visitors Association.

Olson said the streets of Dawson are bustling with tourists, even more than last summer, when they reached record numbers. The Dawson City Visitor Information Centre recorded twice as many visitors in 2016 than 2015.

Although this summer's visitation numbers haven't been released yet, Olson said visitation could be up by more than 50 per cent again this year.

Yukon Tourism issued a report last year that predicted domestic travel to Yukon would grow in 2017 due to a falling national unemployment rate.

Domestic travel may also be bolstered by a lower Canadian dollar.

"We keep seeing licence plates from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and B.C.," said Olson.

Peggy Amendola, supervisor at the visitor information centre, is noticing more people coming through the door.

"People are just out exploring."

Amendola said the "unusually high amount" of Canadians in Dawson could be a result of Canada 150 promotions.

Whatever the reason, Olson warns that people heading to Dawson City shouldn't be surprised to get caught in a line up.

"It takes us 20 minutes to drive to where we're going instead of five."

Whitehorse's Erik Nielsen International Airport has also seen more hustle and bustle this summer, with an estimated 20 to 30 additional flights per week (including arrivals and departures) compared to last year.