Federal government strengthens Indigenous tourism and creates middle class jobs
May 22nd, 2019, Kanien’kehá:ka Nation (Montreal, QC) – Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, announced an investment of $2.5 million for several projects to be implemented in partnership with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).
ITAC’s President and CEO Keith Henry was asked to join in the announcement, which took place in various cities across Canada, emphasizing the national impact of the new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy.
“As we continue to see interest in Indigenous tourism increase, I am pleased with the Government of Canada’s commitment towards growing and supporting the industry,” said Henry. “We look forward to offering a variety of authentic products and experiences across Canada to visitors so they will not only enjoy what we have to offer, but return again and again.”
“More and more travellers are coming to Canada to experience Indigenous cultures and heritage—so much so that Indigenous tourism is outpacing the growth of the sector overall. There are examples across the country of communities that have transformed their economies through tourism. We want to help Indigenous communities across the country build on their rich traditions to grow their tourism sector and create good jobs for middle class families,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie.
The funding is provided through the Canadian Experiences Fund (CEF), a part of the Creating Middle Class Jobs: a Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, which was unveiled today by Minister Joly. It is aimed at empowering communities and growing tourism in Canada and creating sustainable jobs for the middle class.
For more information, visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca.
[su_button url=”https://indigenoustourism.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Federal-Tourism-Growth-Strategy_May-21-1.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#A20000″ size=”5″ radius=”8″]View Federal Strategy[/su_button]
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. With Indigenous tourism out pacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences at an all-time high, ITAC recently updated its five year plan. To book packages and experiences travellers may visit IndigenousCanada.travel. For more information on ITAC visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca
-30-
Media contacts:
Jenna Hickman, Beattie Tartan: 250-592-3838, 250-514-3480 (cell) or Jenna.Hickman@BeattieGroup.com
Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada: 604-639-4408 or Keith@IndigenousTourism.ca
[su_button url=”https://indigenoustourism.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ITAC-Federal-Tourism-Announcement-1-1.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#A20000″ size=”5″ radius=”8″]Download as PDF[/su_button]