In 2015, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), launched a national Indigenous tourism strategy with a mission to provide leadership in the development and marketing of authentic Indigenous tourism experiences through innovative partnerships.

Prior to 2020, Indigenous tourism was outpacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences was at an all-time high. Destination Canada’s research has shown that one out of three visitors request an Indigenous experience. The sector was one of the largest single employers and economic drivers of the Indigenous community, which, as of 2019, contributed more than $1.9B annually to the GDP (up from $1.4B in 2015).

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the partial shutdown of the industry and the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous tourism are set to result in a $900M loss to the Canadian GDP, which has a much more extreme impact on Indigenous-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, artisans and communities, which 700 of them are at risk of never reopening. 

As the lead organization tasked with growing the Indigenous tourism industry across the country, ITAC stepped in to advocate for and protect their members and the sector overall and, earlier this summer, launched the COVID-19 Stimulus Development Fund to help Indigenous entrepreneurs and their businesses stay afloat during the shutdown of the global tourism industry as a result of COVID-19. Later paired with additional federal funding of $16 million, ITAC is able to support many Indigenous tourism businesses in the form of up to $25,000 non-repayable grants. 

Early spring, ITAC launched a brand new consumer website, Destination Indigneous, showcasing truly authentic cultural experiences across the country with enhanced business listings, including businesses’ status through COVID-19. In the summer, ITAC launched their Escape from Home campaign, working with local influencers from coast to coast  to coast inspiring local travellers to visit an Indigenous experience near them. Knowing that visitation will likely be domestic in the next year, ITAC has worked with Insignia Research to capture a full analysis of the perceptions of Canadians towards Indigenous tourism. These insights will be extremely valuable to ITAC’s marketing team, as they plan and deliver an effective 2021 resilience marketing campaign.

“We are proud to be in a position to support those businesses struggling during the unexpected shutdowns caused by COVID but we know that we must continue to advocate for Indigenous entrepreneurs to allow them to become more resilient and ensure that the industry thrives again.” says Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC.