How are we working together?
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport meets with Indigenous Tourism BC every six weeks to discuss progress on the Indigenous Tourism Training Initiative and identify challenges, successes, where support is needed, and upcoming opportunities for further collaboration. Indigenous Tourism BC also submits written progress reports bi-annually, as well as an annual report complete with financials. The distinctions-based approach is providing Indigenous Tourism BC with the flexibility to allocate the funding, within the program parameters, based on Indigenous tourism partners’ specific needs and meeting tourism partners’ where they are at in their tourism journeys. This approach ensures that the work is Indigenous led. The ministry and Indigenous Tourism BC have a very strong partnership and are continually consulting and collaborating with each other on Indigenous tourism opportunities and impacts.
Are there challenges?
No challenges identified.
Highlights
In March 2023, Tourism Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, allocated $6 million to Indigenous Tourism BC to create and implement Indigenous led, culturally focused training and educational programs for Indigenous tourism workers and employers.
In 2024-25 Indigenous Tourism BC continued to deliver the Indigenous Tourism Training Initiative. The initiative empowers Indigenous tourism workers, businesses, and communities by offering culturally relevant training, professional certifications, educational programs, and work placements.
To date, more than 1,000 individuals from all six tourism regions of the province have now taken part in the training programs. The eight Regional Indigenous Tourism Specialists employed by Indigenous Tourism BC are vital in supporting First Nations communities and tourism businesses by helping them access the training and foster tourism development.
Some of the programs available through the initiative now include Occupational, Marine, and Wilderness First Aid, SuperHost Certification, FOODSAFE, Indigenous Ambassador training, Developing and Packaging Tourism Products, Building Sustainable Tourism Businesses, and Tourism Digital Marketing Essentials. These training programs continue to support Indigenous entrepreneurs and workers in building their skills and capacity, enhancing visitor experiences, and contributing to the overall growth of the tourism industry. Key outcomes include improved tourism infrastructure, market-ready Indigenous tourism businesses, and a workforce prepared to deliver authentic, meaningful Indigenous experiences to visitors.
Previous years’ progress
Highlights
In early 2022, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport (TACS) provided Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) with $3.7 million to support the implementation of ITBC’s alignment strategy (2021 – 2024) to support the recovery of Indigenous tourism to pre-pandemic levels.
To achieve recovery, ITBC created the capacity building and resiliency program as a direct result of the $3.7 million in funding. The program offered hands on pathfinding assistance through regional Indigenous tourism specialists, tourism planning resources, training, capacity building, mentorship, resources to advance digitization of businesses, and visitor experience support.
Through the regional Indigenous tourism specialist roles, ITBC engaged over 90% of Indigenous communities in B.C. and nearly all Indigenous tourism businesses and provided them with resources and services based on their unique needs.
“We feel incredibly fortunate that we’ve had the opportunity to work with ITBC. Their support has been instrumental in the development of our new resort, and as a result, we were able to win the prestigious 2023 BC Indigenous Tourism Award for “Indigenous Operator or Experience” after just a few short years of operation. We recognize the importance of ITBC, and our success has been largely aided with their collaboration and guidance.” Chris Tait, Tourism Manager, Klahoose Wilderness Resort
An Indigenous tourism specialist shared that they are “continually astonished at how diverse the ITBC stakeholders are, and how many people and visitors are using the tourism sector to connect to Indigenous culture.”
The capacity building and resiliency program ended on March 31, 2024. Impacts from the program will continue to be realized through its legacy.
The $6 million Indigenous tourism training initiative was announced at the ITBC AGM on October 25, 2023, by Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
In February 2024, ITBC launched a landing page on the ITBC corporate website dedicated to the Indigenous Tourism Training Initiative
How are we working together?
TACS meets quarterly with ITBC to discuss progress on both programs and identify challenges, successes, where support is needed, and upcoming opportunities for further collaboration. ITBC also submits written progress reports bi-annually, and an annual report for both programs. This approach ensures that the work is Indigenous-led. Through the capacity building and resiliency program, ITBC has engaged with over 90% of Indigenous communities in British Columbia. This has resulted in ITBC narrowing down their focus to support 8-12 Indigenous communities that have an interest in tourism development. TACS and ITBC have a very strong partnership and are continually consulting and collaborating with each other on Indigenous tourism opportunities and impacts.
Are there challenges?
No challenges identified.