TTC Tour Brands Strengthen Indigenous Tourism Support
TTC Tour Brands is prioritizing partnering with indigenous organizations, guides and reservations to support the preservation of their native lands, traditions and cultures.
Global tour operators, Trafalgar, Contiki, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold have introduced new travel experiences across global itineraries that support Indigenous-owned businesses and allow travellers to learn from Native people about their history, communities and culture.
These conscious travel activities, known as MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experiences, include visits to Indigenous reservations, demonstrations on how to identify and use the medicinal properties in plants that have been passed down for generations, traditional tobacco ceremonies, dance, storytelling and more.
New for 2023, Trafalgar, brings travellers on a unique visit to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservation and meet with the Lakota Youth Development, a program that aims to connect youths in the tribe with their native culture and lifestyle. On National Parks & Native Trails of the Dakotas, guests will enjoy a traditional Lakota meal with a host from the reservation for a Be My Guest experience where travelers will learn about and taste the ingredients from their native land that Lakota ancestors have lived on for thousands of years. Following the meal, travellers will embark on an Indigenous plant walk to learn more about the medicinal and ceremonial properties of wild edibles and the longstanding idea that every plant has a purpose.
Contiki is striving to ensure travelers get a variety of perspectives on Indigenous culture by prioritizing the voices of the Warrior Women of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. On Canada and the Rockies, travellers will be invited to a fireside chat on traditional First Nation land that is now part of Jasper National Park. There, Warrior Women’s Matricia will share details of her culture, experience as a musician and time spent teaching the traditional craft of making of drums, leather binding, moccasin and traditional mitten making and more. She’ll also teach travellers about the local flora through the lens of the Indigenous people that call the land home.
New for 2022 and the first time the Abegweit Mi’Kmaw Nation has partnered with a tour operator, Insight Vacations is showcasing the longstanding ceremonies of a Canadian tribe on Prince Edward Island. On Landscapes of the Canadian Maritimes, travel;ers will visit the Abegweit Mi’Kmaw Nation, a small First Nation dating back 10,000 years according to oral tradition. During the visit, guests will experience an authentic smudging ceremony, honour song and dance plus learn about the Seven Sacred teachings.
On Luxury Gold’s Inspiring Australia itinerary, trave;lers will embark on an aboriginal walking tour through historical neighbourhood, The Rocks in Sydney to learn The Dreamtime, the important features of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and existence.
TTC Tour Brands, along with the The Travel Corporation’s non-profit TreadRight Foundation, continue to support Indigenous-owned business and non-profits in order to elevate the voices of the Indigenous community and provide travellers with a full and authentic experience when traveling to destinations with a deep native history, which in turn preserves these ancient cultures.
Learn more about how these organizations are amplifying authentic Indigenous voices from the TreadRight Foundation here: https://www.treadright.org/world-indigenous-peoples-day/
