Action plan builds on momentum from 2021
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) has launched their 2022-23 Action Plan for the continued resurgence of Indigenous tourism across Canada.
ITAC’s 2022-23 Action Plan supports the sustainable restoration of Indigenous tourism in Canada as the sector leader to support annual growth in jobs, marketing, GDP contributions and the creation of new Indigenous tourism businesses.
“Although our three-year $65M strategic recovery plan was not fully supported in Budget 2022, we believe that with efficient planning, the full recovery of our industry is still possible by 2025. We have set aggressive goals to reach those levels with dedicated investment for Indigenous tourism throughout Canada,” said ITAC President and CEO Keith Henry. “ITAC will continue to leverage marketing tactics given the strong domestic and global demand for existing marketing and export-ready Indigenous tourism experiences. ITAC will also continue to invest in key areas of development, leadership and partnership to recover Indigenous tourism jobs and strengthen positive Indigenous community and entrepreneur sentiment about the future of Indigenous tourism in Canada. Our vision is to rebuild 21,000 new jobs and return to $1.9 billion in total GDP which contributes no less than $204 million to the federal government over three years through CPP and EI contributions, and federal income tax. Our industry provides Canada a great return on public investments.”
ITAC’s 2022-23 Action Plan focuses on a four-pillar approach to business that includes:
- Leadership: Increasing positive industry awareness, advocacy and accountability to gain market respect, establish funder confidence and build member support. This includes generating own-source revenues through investment in the International Indigenous Tourism Conference, led by ITAC.
- Partnerships: Uniting the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada, bringing together members and key industry organizations to collaborate and maximize results. Key to ITAC’s success will be leveraging resources with federal, provincial and regional partners through investments in provincial and territory Indigenous tourism organizations.
- Development: Encouraging product development and investment from non-Indigenous provincial and territorial partners in Indigenous tourism and destination development, to ensure the industry remains competitive internationally. Tourism HR Canada will play a key role with ITAC’s training and labour strategies.
- Marketing: Promoting Indigenous tourism and its positive community and cultural impacts with high-value, targeted marketing as well as through research, media and sales efforts. This includes marketing investments of $30 million over three years with ITAC leveraging an additional $18 million in support and matching funds from dynamic industry partnerships.
Complementing the four-pillar methodology are three main priorities for ITAC:
- Inspiring ITAC member businesses across the country to rebuild or refocus their business offerings through targeted business support, education and training.
- Leveraging partnership opportunities and investments with the Provincial and Territorial Indigenous Tourism organizations to maintain their membership and infrastructure.
- Strengthening ITAC as the national leader and advocate for Indigenous tourism operators, stabilizing funding through the federal government, partners and members.
ITAC will continue to fully support its members and provincial-territorial partners working towards its 2022-25 Strategic Recovery Plan, Building Back Better: Strategic Recovery of Indigenous Tourism in Canada 2022-2025. ITAC is committed to ensuring the Indigenous tourism industry’s long-term sustainability and its healthy and prosperous recovery.
Read the full 2022-23 action plan here.