Action complete
Highlights
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport (TACS), in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR), provided $6 million to Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) in March 2023, to develop and implement Indigenous-led and culturally focused training and educational opportunities for Indigenous tourism workers and employers.
The $6 million Indigenous tourism training initiative was officially announced at the ITBC AGM on October 25, 2023, by Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, and launched immediately following the announcement. Employers and people working in Indigenous tourism can now grow their skills and education through programs designed to attract and retain Indigenous tourism talent, develop careers, and strengthen the sector.
In February 2024, ITBC launched a landing page on the ITBC corporate website dedicated to the initiative. The landing page features four professional development and training options available for ITBC stakeholders, Indigenous tourism businesses, Indigenous entrepreneurs, or First Nations communities. This work reflects the first phase of the program, and ITBC looks forward to launching the second phase in the new fiscal year (FY24/25).
Programs open for application for ITBC stakeholders, Indigenous tourism businesses, Indigenous entrepreneurs, or First Nations communities include: first aid certifications; occupational, marine, and wilderness first aid, professional development series; working smart in meetings hybrid edition, customer service training; SuperHost certification, FOODSAFE; level 1 in addition to MarketSafe & ProcessSafe and Jelly Academy Digital Marketing Bootcamp.
The Indigenous Tourism Training Initiative is off to a strong start and ITBC has received positive feedback on the first series of training and workshops.
Previous years’ progress
2022/2023 progress details
Highlights
$5 million in initial relief funding allocated to Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC). 140 grants were delivered to Indigenous tourism businesses.
A second intake of the BC Indigenous Tourism Recovery Fund was launched in January 2022, providing an additional $3 million to continue to support Indigenous tourism businesses. $3 million in additional relief funding was also allocated to ITBC. 161 grants were delivered to Indigenous tourism businesses.
Indicators
- Number of grants delivered: 301 grants delivered to Indigenous tourism businesses.
How are we working together?
Funding responded to a recommendation from the Tourism Task Force, a consultation process developed through COVID-19 to identify needs of the tourism sector.
Are there challenges?
Action complete.