International Indigenous Tourism Conference makes first-ever stop in Manitoba

For the first time ever, Manitoba is the host of the International Indigenous Tourism Conference.

Indigenous tourism operators and associations have all gathered in Winnipeg for the conference which got underway Wednesday.

"We are very excited to be here," said Keith Henry, the president and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).

"ITAC, sort of, facilitates marketing and development of Indigenous tourism in the country. We work with partners like Indigenous Tourism Manitoba and Travel Manitoba to help raise the level of awareness of Indigenous tourism opportunities here in Manitoba. So, we do that across the country and one of the ways we want to position Canada as a world leader is hosting an international conference."

Henry said this is the tenth conference and the first in Manitoba and there are over 1,000 delegates in attendance.

Of those attending, Henry said 25 per cent are from Manitoba and every province and territory is represented. There are also groups from the United States as well as Columbia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries.

"It's quite a broad spectrum of Indigenous tourism partners and global leaders that want to help raise the awareness of Indigenous experiences."

Dave Daley is the owner of Wapusk Adventures – a dog sled tour company in Churchill.

He said this conference allows him to network and build partnerships.

"It's nice to meet other people from Indigenous backgrounds that are doing tourism so you can develop your experience even better and share more culturally," said Daley.

He said the service and experience he provides helps connect his customers even more to the area they are in.

"When you're out there and we share that with the tourist about how we know that dogs are the greatest gifts from the animal world. Dogs have hundreds of jobs in the people world and my dogs are no different than other dogs that have jobs and our connection to them is through love and respect."

Henry said now, more than ever, tourists are wanting more than just a trip, they want an entire experience.

"There has never been a higher demand than there is for authentic experiences. People want to not just see and take a picture, they want to experience food, they want to experience the culture, they want to listen to the language. There has never been a higher demand and we find it's our time for Indigenous tourism in Canada," said Henry.

He added Manitoba has so much potential to bring to the world because of its rich Indigenous history.

The conference will be in Winnipeg until March 10.

- With files from CTV News' Nicole Dube