Indigenous tourism conference to welcome international delegations to historic place of trade

More than 1,000 delegates will be taking part in an Indigenous tourism conference in Edmonton this month.

The 13th annual International Indigenous Tourism Conference, hosted by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), will be held Feb. 17 to Feb. 19 at the Edmonton Convention Centre.

“We feel Edmonton is great because it is a historic meeting place along the North Saskatchewan River,” said ITAC president and CEO Keith Henry. “And we know that there was a lot of trade and reciprocity there. So, there’s the symbolism of having it in Edmonton, particularly where the North Saskatchewan River brought Nations and trade together historically. We think this is another great way to walk alongside and learn about the true history of Edmonton itself.”

The theme of this year’s conference is Come Walk With Us.

“We've been trying to help the non-Indigenous tourism industry and, of course, our Indigenous businesses, our tourism-owned businesses and communities, to really work together to build Canada as a world leading Indigenous destination,” Henry said. “It's a vision we've set out for some time. And the theme is really just meant to continue to build on that.”

Henry added ITAC is looking for a collaborative spirit.

“But we don't want them to do it for us,” he said. “We want them to do it alongside of Indigenous-owned businesses and our artists. We want to be one of the centrepoints of the industry in this country.”

Henry is pleased to see that at least 14 international delegations will be among those attending.
“That's the most we've ever had,” he said. “I'm spending a lot of time with those international delegations to try and align their work with our work in Canada and just really learn together about what's working in our countries.”

Indigenous tourism officials in Canada are keen to take advantage of the downturn in international visitors choosing to travel to the United States in response to current fractious relationships with the American administration.

“I think that we see a lot of international visitors, particularly, are choosing to come to Canada as their major priority when it comes to travel in North America,” Henry said. “We're seeing a decline in international countries going to the U.S. and opting to come to Canada instead. We see that trend continuing.”

This past week ITAC signed a new agreement with Intrepid Travel, a major tour operator.

“They're a well-known international firm and they're co-investing in development and marketing with us, because we're seeing more professional industry partners that do sales say ‘this is the trend’ and we're going to continue to build on that,” Henry said.

“This conference is going to continue to build on that, helping our business community prepare for what we think is going to continue to be increased international visitation over the coming number of years actually.”

Tamara Littlelight, ITAC’s director of marketing, said the association is boosting its efforts to attract foreign visitors who might have previously been interested in U.S. travel to come to Canada instead.

“Just seeing what is happening in the States, we are bolstering and amplifying our marketing efforts in Canada,” she said. 

ITAC reps are also hoping more Canadian residents choose to stay within their own borders when seeking travel options.

“We do a paid campaign every year that focuses on our domestic market, just making sure that Canadian travelers know that there are Indigenous tourism experiences that they can take in,” Littlelight said.

Littlelight is also pleased about the large number of international delegations that will attend the Edmonton conference.

“That feels great,” she said. “I feel that ITAC is seen as a global leader for Indigenous tourism.”

She said other prestigious Indigenous tourism associations throughout the world lean on ITAC for their expertise and knowledge.

“That speaks volumes,” she said. “I feel like we are the ones leading that vision.” 

Henry will provide a general industry update at the conference and also play a key role in the presentation of the various ITAC awards that will be presented during a ceremony.

Henry believes the buzz around the conference will continue to build in the coming days.

“We always see a big push the last few weeks and we're seeing that right now, so we may hit 1,200 delegates,” he said. 

More conference information is available at https://indigenoustourismconference.com/