Huron-Wendat Territory – Quebec City, Quebec – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is celebrating the success of the 4th International Aboriginal Tourism Conference (IATC) held this week in Quebec City. This year the 4th IATC was hosted by Quebec Aboriginal Tourism (QAT), a member of ITAC. IATC was attended by over 340 delegates with representation from several countries including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, India, Chile, Nepal, and several other locations.
There were a number of partners supporting IATC including the Government of Canada, Province of Quebec, Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), Tourism Quebec, Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia (AtBC), World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA), and several others. IATC recognized the importance of local Aboriginal protocols by working closely and supporting cultural activities with the Huron-Wendat community throughout the conference. In addition the conference included participation from Huron-Wendat Grand Chief Konrad Sioui and Regional Chief for Quebec-Labrador Ghislain Picard.
The IATC addressed a number of key topics including product development, financing, marketing and media in the Aboriginal tourism industry. ITAC presented on new initiatives and updates. This included the presentation of the new ITAC national website which was well received.
ITAC Chair Keith Henry stated; “The 4th IATC demonstrated the growing success of Aboriginal tourism in Canada. Aboriginal tourism is exciting for visitors domestically and internationally while supporting the overall tourism industry and Canadian economy. Aboriginal tourism also preserves and celebrates Aboriginal culture and tourism businesses throughout the country.”
ITAC Chair Henry added, “ITAC is excited to launch our new national website to promote Aboriginal tourism experiences, including festivals and events from across the country. The ITAC website IndigenousTourism.ca features approximately eighty (80) experiences and will be a new resource for Canadian and International travellers, as well as the tourism industry. ITAC is also preparing for Canada’s largest travel tradeshow in Niagara Falls, Ontario this coming May, and the new website will be featured as an important marketing tool for buyers attending from throughout the world.”
ITAC Chair Henry concluded, “ITAC is working on several new initiatives and the national Aboriginal tourism website represents only one of several exciting steps. The IATC success this week enables ITAC to build off the momentum and thank you Quebec Aboriginal Tourism (QAT) for their work to ensure a world class conference. We also thank Federal Tourism Minister Maxime Bernier for attending and supporting our industry. Thank you to representatives from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and Industry Canada for attending and recognizing the importance of Aboriginal tourism.”
About the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada:
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) includes over 20 Aboriginal tourism industry organizations and government representatives from every province and territory in Canada. Through a unified Aboriginal tourism industry voice, ITAC focuses on marketing, product development support, and creating partnerships between associations, organizations, government departments and industry leaders from across Canada to support the growth of Aboriginal tourism in Canada IndigenousTourism.ca.
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Media contact:
Keith Henry, Chair, ITAC: 778-388-5013 or KHenry@AboriginalBC.com