December 10, 2019, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – On December 11, 2019, Chef Bill Alexander will be on live national television in Toronto, showcasing Indigenous cuisine and featuring holiday recipes on behalf of the Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations (ICAN) and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).

For CTV’s Your Morning, Chef Bill will be cooking up a Saskatoon Berry and eggnog Monte Cristo sandwich, then later that day, appearing on The Social to make a smoked venison carpaccio, wild rice and blueberry salad, and a smoked maple salmon puree.

ICAN Co-Chair Bill Alexander – executive chef at Calgary’s Grey Eagle Resort & Casino and a consulting chef for WestJet Airlines – has worked closely with ITAC to build the nationwide Indigenous culinary strategy, focusing on collaborations with important industry partners via three key pillars: connection, sharing, and influencing.

While these television appearances were booked months ago, ITAC also hosted Jennifer McLean, Executive Producer of Your Morning, during the International Indigenous Tourism Conference, in recognition of CTV’s recent commitment to sharing Indigenous tourism stories.

“This industry is about relationships and we can’t thank Chef Bill enough for the relationships he is building with national media,” says Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC.  “Food is a huge motivator in travel and CTV’s support of sharing our stories on food and other Indigenous cultural experiences is invaluable to our marketing efforts.”

About ICAN

Launched with a vision for a world where Indigenous food is not a dish served for one but a cultural feast and celebration of Nations, ICAN is dedicated to sharing Canada’s diverse Indigenous food, culinary and cultural experiences with the world. A recent MOU between ITAC and ICAN has become the strategic framework to support, develop and market Canada’s diverse Indigenous culinary experiences, and in turn, foster the growth of Indigenous culinary tourism on a national level.

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 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.  With Indigenous tourism outpacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences at an all-time high, ITAC recently updated its five-year plan. Additionally, ITAC just launched their Nations magazine, highlighting Indigenous people and experiences across the country.

To book packages and experiences travellers may visit www.IndigenousCanada.Travel.

For more information on ITAC visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca

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Media contacts:
Deirdre Campbell, Beattie Tartan
250-592-3838, 250-882-9199 (cell)
Deirdre.Campbell@BeattieGroup.com

Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
604-639-4408, 778-388-5013 (cell)
Keith@IndigenousTourism.ca

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