Destination Indigenous

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is launching its new Destination Indigenous marketing campaign in an effort to encourage, highlight and educate travellers about the many Indigenous experiences that will welcome Canadians this summer.

The new initiative will be unveiled on National Indigenous People’s Day – which will be celebrated on Sunday, June 21 – and the marketing campaign will include the release of an experience Web booking platform that will link travellers with:

• Export-ready Indigenous tourism businesses that will be accepting visitors this summer
• A series of Zoom backgrounds showcasing Indigenous-experience imagery from each province and territory
• A video campaign called Virtually Yours to entice tourists.

Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC, observed that: “As a global leader in advancing Indigenous tourism, our goal is to help create, support and market Canada’s Indigenous cultural experiences in a memorable and authentic way that embraces our collective efforts, honours our traditions and demonstrates our unity.”

Henry continued: “To help achieve this, we’ve created Destination Indigenous to simplify the process for visitors wanting to discover the heritage of our country by providing a one-stop-shop where they can find the amazing experiences that our Indigenous communities have to offer.”

Before COVID-19 struck, disrupting global tourism, Canada’s Indigenous tours, activities and communities welcomed visitors from around the world — sharing rich, transformative travel experiences that showcase a modern, authentic culture.

ITAC’s Destination Indigenous initiative celebrates this once-thriving sector in the hopes of leading it on a path to recovery, linking travellers to an emotional experience that flows from: a grounding with the natural environment; a sense of welcome; positive interactions; a feeling of vibrancy; and a desire to connect.

Said Henry: “Now more than ever, in light of the drastic effects that COVID-19 has had on the Indigenous tourism sector, it is important to promote and support the Indigenous tour, activity and experience operators that have welcomed visitors from around the world into their communities.”

And he adds: “With over 40,000 people employed by this industry, we have turned our efforts to advocacy – requesting much-needed federal financial relief for businesses – and now, towards the promotion of domestic tourism through the Destination Indigenous campaign.”

ITAC represents 1,700 SMEs with the aim of sharing rich, transformative travel experiences that showcase a modern, authentic culture.

The Destination Indigenous campaign will continue to roll out new elements to promote and support the tourism industry towards recovery and resiliency over the coming months.

On June 21, the Destination Indigenous website goes live, make sure to visit it at https://destinationindigenous.ca/ .

And check out the video here …