Indigenous tourism prepares for pivotal role in economic recovery
As the economy gradually recovers from the effects of the pandemic, the tourism sector is preparing to once again be a multi-billion dollar industry within Alberta.
Seeking to play a pivotal role as the sector rebounds, Indigenous tourism owners, operators, and leaders gathered at the Alberta Indigenous Tourism Summit today to work towards a cohesive and sustainable recovery. This represents only the third Alberta Indigenous Tourism Summit ever hosted.
Indigenous tourism is broadly defined as a business 51 percent owned or operated by Indigenous members, and oriented towards cultural experiences such as medicine walks, artisan galleries, cultural centres or an Indigenous themed event such as a pow wow.
"There is a huge opportunity in Indigenous tourism," said David Goldstein, CEO of Travel Alberta. "Before the pandemic, the visitor economy was worth about $8.5 billion to the Alberta economy, and about 25 per cent of that was international travellers coming to Alberta. As we plan our way to get back to, and beyond 2019 levels, Indigenous tourism is going to be right in the sweet spot of what those international travellers are looking for," said Goldstein.
Partnering with industry leaders, the summit features multiple sessions with keynote speakers, learning sessions and panel discussions to aid Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs achieve success in the tourism industry. Over 300 industry members are expected to attend.
"It's all about relationships," said Shae Bird of Indigenous Tourism Alberta. "We have an entire tourism sector that is just starting to dip their toes in the Indigenous tourism side. Our industry partners are looking at how they can incorporate more Indigenous elements and work with Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs authentically and respectfully" said Bird.
POSITIVE SIGNS
Commenting on a broader shift within the tourism industry towards Indigenous elements and culture, Bird said it is early days but there are some positive signs of change.
"We are just starting to see a shift in the mentality of 'hey what can we do, we know we need to do more,' so it's a great opportunity for the industry as a whole to move in an exciting direction," he said.
Brenda Holder, owner of Mahikan Trails, said being able to once again meet and collaborate in-person is key to industry growth. "Having these kinds of events are going to be critical, to listen to other industry partners, what they're doing, and how we are working together; how we can see what other parts of the industry are working towards, it gives people a lot of hope," said Holder.
The Alberta Indigenous Tourism Summit runs through November 26 at the Grey Eagle Casino.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.