— What the industry numbers reveal —

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – On September 7, 2024, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) reached a significant milestone—the 1st anniversary of the Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund (ITDF). Launched in 2023, the ITDF is a tangible action towards fulfilling the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92, which calls for economic reconciliation.

As Canada approaches the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, this anniversary highlights the importance of creating lasting economic opportunities for the Indigenous tourism industry, ensuring they share in the long-term benefits of tourism across their lands.

This fund, administered by ITAC, reflects the growing commitment to reconciliation through partnerships. While 15 non-Indigenous businesses have signed on to support the ITDF, ITAC’s goal was to include 100 non-Indigenous ITDF partners in its inaugural year.  

According to preliminary findings from Insignia Marketing Research, over 1,000 Canadian travellers were surveyed to gauge their willingness to support the fund. 71% of those surveyed expressed support for contributing to the ITDF. This final report will be available in October 2024. 

What is Call to Action 92? 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report includes 94 Calls to Action, urging governments, institutions, and individuals to address systemic inequalities, advance Indigenous rights, and support cultural restoration.

“92. We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.”

“The corporate sector in Canada is responsible for the response to Call to Action 92.”

Click here for more information on Call to Action 92.

What is Business and Reconciliation?

ITAC, in partnership with Legacy Bowes, has developed a reconciliation training program for non-Indigenous businesses and organizations in the tourism industry.

The Truth2Action Training program offers The Certificate in Reconciliation for the Tourism Industry is a hybrid virtual and in-person program designed to provide a safe environment for staff and board members to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives and explore their role in supporting reconciliation efforts.

The Path to Economic Reconciliation

The ITDF is designed to empower Indigenous tourism operators, contributing to preserving and revitalizing Indigenous cultures while creating sustainable economic opportunities by collecting a small fee from visitors. Funds collected are used to support the development and marketing of authentic Indigenous experiences. This is about more than tourism—it’s about reconciliation through action. Indigenous tourism is by Indigenous Peoples, not about Indigenous Peoples. 

The ITDF is pivotal in creating jobs, supporting infrastructure, and promoting authentic Indigenous experiences from coast to coast to coast. Yet, the Indigenous tourism industry faces an ongoing struggle due to unpredictable funding and limited access to key resources, such as legislated hotel and resort taxes. This presents an urgent need for the broader tourism industry to step up and commit to economic reconciliation through sustained support and investment.

The opportunity for non-Indigenous businesses and destination marketing organizations to invest in and help grow the Indigenous tourism industry from coast to coast to coast and join the growing list of businesses committed to contributing to the ITDF remains to be seen. 

The Role of Businesses and Destination Management Organizations

According to Stats Canada Daily, as of December 2023, there were *1.35 million employer businesses in Canada with annual revenues greater than $30,000—highlighting the critical role of partnerships in shaping the future of Indigenous tourism in Canada. Breaking the numbers down further, the SME Profile: Tourism Industries in Canada by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada reports that in 2020, *8% (or 108,000) of the estimated 1.30 million SME employers in Canada operated in tourism industries.  

The Importance of Visitor-based Assessments (VBAs) to Canada’s Economy Report from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and Destinations International estimates that there are over 250 destination management organizations (DMOs) across Canada, and VBA funding is in place in more than 2/3rds of the estimated 250+ DMOs in Canada. Unlike many DMOs nationally, ITAC and its Indigenous provincial and territorial partners do not have access to legislated hotel or resort municipality taxes, making long-term predictability and sustainability for the industry nearly impossible. 

ITAC has laid a clear path for industry involvement, calling on non-Indigenous-owned businesses and destination management organizations (DMOs) across Canada to review their commitments to reconciliation. To date, the ITDF has not received direct DMO support to the ITDF, further demonstrating the lack of momentum from non-Indigenous businesses in Canada behind this initiative. The fund is a model that allows flexibility for this network to contribute based on a percentage of their annual revenues. ITAC implores DMOs to review their budgets commitment to reconciliation and find new ways to advance Indigenous-led tourism through the fund.

Building a Future Together: A Call for Industry Engagement

The ITDF was designed to respond to the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy – Partnering to Grow Indigenous Tourism –  and the long-term goal of meeting ITAC’s 2023 Vision 2030 of making Canada the world leader in Indigenous tourism.

  • 60,000 jobs in Indigenous tourism (up from 39,000 in 2019)
  • 2,700 Indigenous-owned and operated tourism businesses (up from 1,900 in 2019)
  • $6 Billion in contributions to Canada’s GDP (up from $1.9 Billion in 2019)

To make that vision a reality, ITAC has laid out an investment path that supports the required industry growth through investments in three priority areas:

  • Infrastructure & Destination Development
  • Building a Sustainable Tourism Workforce
  • Business Development and Promotion 

The ITDF is creating meaningful and sustainable economic opportunities for Indigenous communities while helping to preserve and revitalize Indigenous economic reconciliation. Moreover, ITAC is grateful to all its official partners supporting the ITDF.

Rocky Mountaineer has partnered with ITAC on the fund as an active response to Call to Action #92 and the shared vision of an economically inclusive tourism industry. Yet, to achieve this, more partners must join the journey. 

As we celebrate the first year of the ITDF, we must maintain its broader purpose: advancing economic reconciliation. The success of this initiative depends on our collective commitment to reconciliation, not as a concept but as an actionable goal. The tourism industry must reflect the pledges made during the 2023 International Indigenous Tourism Conference (#2023IITC) in Winnipeg, MB, where over 1,000 delegates vowed to contribute to Indigenous-led tourism initiatives. Still, only 15 ITDF contracts have been signed. The time has come for action.

ITAC asks, where are our partners?

Start your journey to reconciliation in Indigenous tourism. Join ITAC in making a lasting impact by partnering with the following: 

Together, we can support the growth of Indigenous tourism, create meaningful cultural experiences, and empower Indigenous communities across Canada. 

*This includes over 50,000 Indigenous-owned businesses, as the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business reported.