Destination Canada and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada formalize relationship to grow Canada’s tourism sector.
Ottawa, ON – December 1, 2015: Destination Canada (DC) and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) have signed an agreement to leverage the strengths of both organizations and support the continued growth of the Aboriginal tourism industry across Canada.
Through the sharing of market intelligence, expertise and industry knowledge, DC and ITAC will work together towards increasing the export capacity of Aboriginal tourism experiences and cooperate in marketing programs in targeted international markets.
“There is an enormous global demand for authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences”, said David Goldstein, President and CEO of Destination Canada. “Destination Canada and ITAC want to ensure that Aboriginal tourism businesses, most of which are small and medium in size, have access to the relevant programs, services and partnership opportunities already in place, to benefit from this international demand.”
“With Destination Canada, we are not only harnessing the opportunities and leveraging resources, but we are also deepening and enriching the story of Canada and its cultural traditions”, says Keith Henry, President and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. “There over 1500 Aboriginal tourism businesses across Canada. Together we can work to make more of them export-ready. ITAC will work to build capacity to grow this sector and seize the economic opportunities of an increasing market demand”, added Mr. Henry.
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Additional web links:
- National Aboriginal Tourism Research Report to learn more about Aboriginal Tourism
- Tourism Industry Factsheet to learn more about Canada’s visitor economy
- Destination Canada corporate profile for key facts and figures about Destination Canada
- Brand Canada Library for rights-ready, free-to-use images and videos
About Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada:
Originally formed as the Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Circle, in 2015 the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) was formally established. Today ITAC includes representation from 15 Aboriginal tourism industry representatives and organizations. Through a unified Aboriginal tourism industry voice, ITAC focuses on creating partnerships between associations, organizations, government departments and industry leaders from across Canada to support the growth of Aboriginal tourism in Canada.
About Destination Canada:
Destination Canada is Canada’s national tourism marketing organization. A federal Crown corporation of the Government of Canada, we lead the Canadian tourism industry in marketing Canada as a premier four-season tourism destination. Our vision is to inspire the world to explore Canada. With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we promote Canada’s extraordinary experiences in 11 leisure markets around the world, conduct market research plus provide resources and toolkits to help industry leverage Canada’s successful tourism brand, Canada. Keep Exploring. For regular updates on Destination Canada initiatives, subscribe to Destination Canada News or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
For further information, please contact:
Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada: 778-388-5013 or k.henry@aboriginalcanada.ca
Gilles Verret, Destination Canada: 604-638-8303 or Verret.gilles@destinationcanada.com
Click here to download the Memorandum of Understanding as a PDF.