Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – As the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), in partnership with Tourism HR Canada, develops tools and programs for a nation-wide Indigenous tourism recognition program entitled RISE, a new complementary tool kit focused on recovery and resilience is now available to members.

Tourism HR Canada (THRC) will launch the Tourism Workforce Recovery Toolkit via a webinar event taking place Wednesday, June 24th (1:00 – 2:00 PM ET): Recovery to Resiliency: How tourism operators can learn, grow and thrive post-pandemic.

Hosted by Tourism HR Canada President and CEO Philip Mondor, this one-hour webinar will provide guidance, support, and practical tools to 200,000 tourism operators across the country devastated by the impacts of COVID-19. With a focus on labour-related challenges and opportunities key to moving from recovery to renewed growth and innovation, this webinar will also serve as the formal launch of the free web-based Tourism Workforce Recovery Toolkit. The session will introduce participants to crucial features in the Toolkit as well as actionable advice on how to implement the content most relevant to their recovery needs.

ITAC members are encouraged to register here.

THRC’s Toolkit is a living resource that will have new content posted weekly and will be available in English as of June 24th with the French side of the site launching in early August.

“With the impacts of Covid-19 on our members, RISE has become even more important as a program to support Indigenous tourism businesses of all kinds, from authentic cultural experiences to essential tourism services in Indigenous destinations to community-based initiatives as they rebuild,” says Keith Henry, ITAC’s President and CEO. “The goal through future access to RISE and immediate access to toolkits from our partners is increased readiness for all businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations as the domestic and international tourism industry slowly rebounds. If there is a time to invest in these skills it is now.”

With a fall launch date, RISE aims to strengthen the Indigenous tourism industry across Canada, at the community, regional, national and international levels and will be useful for operators at all stages of business readiness, especially those at the grassroots level. This user-friendly recognition program will strive to ensure that operators are ready to meet the increasing demand for Indigenous tourism experiences in Canada.

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. Prior to 2020, Indigenous tourism was outpacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences was at an all-time high. Due to COVID-19, ITAC recently released a report on the financial challenges facing Indigenous tourism operators and recommended stimulus solutions. As well, a 2020-2021 revised action plan focused on sustaining Indigenous tourism in the face of COVID-19 was released in March, which is now complemented by the 2020-2024 Recovery Strategy.

Media Contacts:
Keith Henry, CEO
Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
778-388-5013; Keith@IndigenousTourism.ca

Deirdre Campbell
Beattie Tartan
250-882-9199; deirdre.campbell@beattiegroup.com

French Media Requests
Sebastien Desnoyers-Picard, Chief Marketing Officer
Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
418-655-0210; Sebastien@IndigenousTourism.ca