Yearly awards ceremony showcases the best in tourism from across the province

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is proud to announce that Indigenous tourism operators walked away with a number of awards at the Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence including the Gil Carduner Marketing award and the Business of the Year award.

For more than 30 years the Saskatchewan tourism sector has been paying special tribute to businesses and individuals who made exceptional contributions to tourism and demonstrated that success and fulfilment come with being true to your dreams, proud of your home and eager to treat guests to remarkable Saskatchewan experiences.

“The list of Indigenous winners and runner-ups from this year’s awards ceremony show the depth of offerings and dedication to service for our operators in not only Saskatchewan but across the country,” said Keith Henry, ITAC’s President and CEO. “The excellence that these businesses demonstrate and provide to their customers continues to set a high bar in the tourism sector overall and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate their success.”

The full list of Indigenous winners and runner-ups includes:

Gil Carduner Marketing award winner
Wanuskewin Heritage Park

Tourism Employee of the Year award runner-up
From Wanuskewin, Katie Willie

Tourism Employer of the Year runner up
Gold Eagle Lodge

Indigenous Tourism Experience award winner
Aski Holistic adventures

Business of the Year award winner
Wanuskewin

Tourism Builder award
Dr. Ernie Walker – Wanuskewin.

The full list of winners can be found here.

About the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is the lead organization tasked with growing the Indigenous tourism industry across the country.  Inspired by a vision for a thriving Indigenous tourism economy sharing authentic, memorable and enriching experiences, ITAC develops relationships with other groups and regions with similar mandates. By uniting the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada, ITAC works to enable collective support, product development, promotion and marketing of authentic Indigenous cultural tourism businesses in a respectful protocol.  Prior to 2020, Indigenous tourism was outpacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences was at an all-time high. Due to COVID-19, ITAC recently released a report on the financial challenges facing Indigenous tourism operators and recommended stimulus solutions. As well, a 2020-2021 revised action plan focused on sustaining Indigenous tourism in the face of COVID-19 was released in March.

Media Contacts
Nicole Amiel, Beattie Tartan
416-436-5185
Nicole.Amiel@BeattieGroup.com

French media requests
Sebastien Desnoyers-Picard, Chief Marketing Officer
Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
418-655-0210
Sebastien@IndigenousTourism.ca