Group aims to promote Indigenous tourism in Manitoba
As tourists slowly start to return to Manitoba, a newly recognized organization is making sure Indigenous communities are part of the tourism sector’s post-pandemic recovery.
“It was just crickets on the streets,” said Dave Daley, owner of Wapusk Adventures, a dog-sledding experience in Churchill, as he explained the impact of COVID-19 on his business and community.
Daley is board chair of the Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Association (MITA), which held a virtual summit on Thursday and released elements of a five-year plan for economic recovery for Manitoba’s Indigenous tourism sector.
“We’re happy to be back to the start of being reborn after COVID,” he said.
Daley describes MITA as an advocate for Indigenous tourism in the province that will help the roughly 100+ businesses that currently make up the Indigenous tourism sector, and aid in creating new ones.
“How do I start a business? How do I get going? All that stuff, and templates, will be there over the next four years,” said Daley.
MITA’s 4-year recovery strategy was unveiled on Thursday, crafted in partnership with Tourism Manitoba.
Getting businesses ready to meet existing demand is one major piece of the plan.
“People are looking for authentic Indigenous experiences and we’re focusing on delivering that,” said Colin Ferguson, president and CEO of Travel Manitoba.
Much like Manitoba’s broader tourism industry, the province’s Indigenous tourism sector was hit hard by the pandemic, said Ferguson.
Domestic travel, he added, has helped buoy the sector into 2021, with Travel Manitoba promoting Indigenous cultural experiences available to Manitobans throughout the pandemic.
Attracting more international travellers will be a major part of MITA’s tourism strategy.
One-third of tourists visiting Canada came to the country seeking some form of Indigenous tourism, according to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
In Manitoba, the Indigenous tourism sector was bringing in $49 million in GDP, dropping to $29 million so far this year.
It is estimated the sector won’t reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025.
Keith Henry, president of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, said boosting Manitoba’s international profile will be a key factor in economic recovery.
“It’s an untapped potential right now because Manitoba isn’t often at the forefront of Indigenous destinations,” said Henry.
“Indigenous tourism has a lot more potential room for growth.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.