2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program: Call for Applications

Issued: Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Deadline: Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 – 4:00 PM PST

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is pleased to issue the following CALL FOR APPLICATIONS to qualified Aboriginal tourism businesses and Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations to participate as sellers in the 2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program.

The 2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program is an initiative which aims to increase participation from qualified Aboriginal tourism providers at the upcoming Rendez-vous Canada travel tradeshow held May 9-12 in Calgary, Alberta.

Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) is Canada’s premier international tourism marketplace, led by the Destination Canada (DC). RVC connects Canadian tourism business owners with international travel buyers from all over the world in a series of pre-scheduled appointments and networking events. RVC is largely considered to be the most important show for Canadian tourism businesses to attend to learn about and meet with the travel trade.

There is a growing global demand for authentic Aboriginal cultural tourism, which prompted ITAC to create the inaugural national Aboriginal tourism section on the RVC tradeshow floor in 2015. 28 Aboriginal Tourism businesses took part last year within the Aboriginal Canada floor space, many attending RVC for the first time. This showcase is designed to feature authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences, while facilitating productive business connections with domestic and international buyers.

Aboriginal tourism businesses or Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations must submit a letter of interest (two pages maximum) to provide information about their business or marketing organization in order to participate in the 2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program. In your letter of interest please identify the name and location of your business, and a short description of how you meet the requirements outlined in Appendix A – Selection Criteria.

Please submit your applications by email with subject line: 2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program to d.sinclair@aboriginalcanada.ca.

Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
Attn: Dené Sinclair, Director of Marketing
300-3665 Kingsway,
Vancouver, BC, V5R 5W2
Phone: (431)-777-8991
Email: d.sinclair@aboriginalcanada.ca

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 at 4:00 PM PST. ITAC will review submissions and confirm successful applicants on or before January 25, 2017.

Successful applicants will be eligible for a subsidy for one delegate, which includes one shared booth space and one non-concurrent appointment schedule with 34 appointment slots to attend RVC 2017. Each seller registered will be provided with a username and password to access the RVC online database and scheduling software to pre-schedule their appointments and organize their own appointment schedule.

After approved, an email invitation will be sent to you by the Rendez-vous Canada show organizers which you must complete by entering all of your information. Once registered, you will use the website www.RendezvousCanada.Travel for all future information.

Cost
Successful applicants to the 2017 Rendez-vous Canada Partnership Program will pay $995 to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada before April 15, 2017. This is a savings of $1,255 per company.

Additional Delegates
Successful applicant companies are able to register a second delegate at a cost of $975, payable online to the show organizers after receiving approval from ITAC.

Booth Upgrades
Successful applicants may also choose to upgrade from the basic shared booth space after receiving approval from ITAC. All upgrade costs must be paid directly to show organizers:

Power, wifi and additional furniture are all available through show organizers at additional cost. Visit www.RendezvousCanada.Travel/sellers-info for more information.

In order to qualify, Aboriginal tourism businesses or Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations must meet the requirements in accordance with the criteria provided in Appendix A.

Space is limited so apply early! For more information on Rendezvous Canada go to www.RendezvousCanada.travel

For more information about the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada go to www.IndigenousTourism.ca.

2017 Rendezvous Canada Partnership Program:  Selection Criteria

Note: Successful applicants must be members of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, or be prepared to meet the requirements of membership to ITAC.

Selection Criteria for Aboriginal tourism businesses

Aboriginal tourism businesses must meet “Market-Ready” criteria as follows:

• Has been operating in a safe and professional manner for at least one year
• Carries adequate insurance totalling no less than $2 million in liability
• Has current business and operating licenses, registrations and permits
• Has a website that honestly and accurately represents an Aboriginal tourism business
• Accepts credit cards and debit cards as means of payment
• Handles reservations/inquiries by telephone, fax and email on a year-round basis
• Handles and is able to provide confirmation of booking arrangements within 24 hours
• Has a product that is of interest to tourists, both domestic and international

In addition, Aboriginal tourism businesses must also ensure the following “Export-Ready” criteria are also met:

• Demonstrate an adequate budget and marketing plan
• Understand the roles played by receptive tour operators, tour operators, travel wholesalers, and retail travel agents and understand rack or retail pricing, agent commissions and wholesale net rates at each level
• Be willing to include receptive tour operators in the marketing and sales plan and provide contracted wholesale net rates to receptive tour operators
• Provide detailed pricing and program information to tour operators and wholesalers at least one year in advance of selling season
• Be prepared to set up billing arrangements with the tour operator, wholesale agency or receptive tour operator
• If planning to pursue group business, ensure ability to accommodate and adapt to the needs of the market (e.g. tour bus access and parking, washroom facilities, maximum group size, group pricing, and frontline staff that speak the language of target markets)
• Carry adequate insurance (receptive tour operator can sometimes add suppliers to their existing policies at nominal cost)
• Provide support (free or reduced rates) for international media and travel trade familiarization tours
• Offer currency exchange rates consistent with industry norms

Selection criteria for Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations

Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations are organizations or committees that represent a specific provincial, territorial, or regional Aboriginal tourism destination. They serve as the “official” contact point for the destination for tour operators, individual visitors or meeting professionals.

Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Organizations registering as sellers must:

• Represent Aboriginal tourism destinations
• Have an international marketing plan and represent market ready/export ready Aboriginal tourism businesses

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