Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) attended another successful International Media Marketplace (IMM) event in New York City (NYC) from January 25 – 26, 2023. This marked IMM’s seventh year in NYC, and 11th globally, to help build relationships and networking — connecting the travel industry with North America’s top travel journalists, editors, influencers and broadcasters.
Ryan Rogers, ITAC’s award-winning Communications Manager, was in attendance alongside 6,270 travel brands who were meeting with approximately 11,600 top-tier media. Rogers had 24 pre-scheduled meetings with writers from outlets such as National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, to name just a few. He also attended networking events and participated in a panel presentation about Indigenous Tourism during the TravMedia Summit with Tom Babin, Director of Marketing of Indigenous Tourism Alberta and representatives from Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association and Chickasaw Country. The audience at the TravMedia Summit was approximately 500 top-tier media representatives from the United States and Canada along with global PR professionals.
ITAC was delighted to have attended another IMM event and remains committed to ongoing proactive media relations and participation in media familiarization tours to ensure Indigenous travel remains top of mind when consumers are planning their travels. Moreover, ITAC recognizes more travellers are interested in exploring the culture of Indigenous Peoples and knows demand, both domestically and globally, is growing for authentic Indigenous experiences.