June 13, 2018, Wendake – Nionwentsïo – Huron-Wendat Territory (Wendake, QC) – More than 30 tourism leaders studied best practices in cultural activities, hospitality, and partnership collaboration in and around Wendake, QC, the result of a joint partnership between the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism.

The three-day tour included a review of the national, provincial, and regional tourism models, including their effectiveness, scalability, strengths, and weaknesses. Members of the working group also had the opportunity to connect with the ITAC senior leadership team where discussions focused around the national organization’s five-year development and marketing plan, community-owned ventures and entrepreneurship, and how these best practices would apply within Atlantic Canada. This is the first best practices meeting and tour within Canada, a result of the multi-stakeholder, collaborative approach to enhancing Indigenous tourism across the country.

“The opportunity to showcase the strength and best practices of Indigenous tourism in Quebec is one that our organization is pleased to champion,” says Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC. “Collaboration among leaders within the national Indigenous tourism industry is vital as we continue to grow on the national and international stage.”

Indigenous tourism in Quebec is well-established with more than 85 businesses and operators who are market-ready or export-ready. Additional info on Indigenous tourism in Quebec may be found on the Quebec Aboriginal Tourism site: www.quebecaboriginal.com

The Indigenous Tourism Atlantic Canada Working Group will now take their findings to further develop their regional Indigenous tourism strategy.

About the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) works to improve the socio-economic condition of Indigenous peoples through the provisions of economic development advisory services, tourism conferences, capacity development training and workshops, industry research and information for Indigenous tourism operators and communities within the 13 regions; 10 provinces and three territories of Canada. ITAC develops relationships with other groups and regions with similar mandates, uniting the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada and works to enable collective support, product development, promotion and marketing of authentic Indigenous cultural tourism businesses in a respectful protocol. The ITAC Board is made up of Indigenous tourism industry representatives from each of the provinces and territories. For more information, visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca.

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Media contacts:
Brian Cant, Beattie Tartan: 250-592-3838, 250-888- 8729 (cell) or brian.cant@onlybeattie.com
Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada: 604-639-4408 or keith@indigenoustourism.ca

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