2018/19 Guide to Indigenous Tourism in Canada
This blog post was written before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when physical distancing and other COVID health and safety protocols were not in effect. The businesses and communities featured in this article may be once again welcoming visitors but please double check as some are only open with limited operations and others have not yet reopened.
We are pleased to share with you this year’s comprehensive guide to Indigenous tourism in Canada—available online—for industry, media and visitors from around the world.
Download the Guidebook here (19 MB)
Interest in Indigenous tourism has grown dramatically as more travellers experience the authenticity, uniqueness and diversity of stories and products offered by Indigenous peoples and communities across Canada. This year’s guide features more than 170 experiences, stories and businesses to inspire you to visit and learn more about the many Indigenous nations, peoples and communities across Canada.
Our ancestors have been welcoming visitors to our traditional territories for millennia with ceremony, song, dance, gifts, and of course food. That hasn’t changed as new generations share their cultures through the many experiences available to visitors.
The 110-page bilingual guide highlights how authentic Indigenous tourism experiences go well beyond sightseeing to promoting understanding and connection. The experiences available to visitors are as vast and varied as the hundreds of Indigenous nations across the land—from coast to coast to coast. Readers will see how they can visit the site of 3,000-year-old Mi’kmaq archeological mounds at Metepenagiag Heritage Park in New Brunswick, marvel at beautifully carved totem poles at Haida Heritage Centre at Ḵay Llnagaay on Haida Gwaii off British Columbia and wander a recreated village and learn from interpreters at the Traditional Huron Site near Quebec City. Research from Destination Canada shows that visitors—both foreign and domestic—are eager to engage in authentic First Nations, Inuit and Metis experiences, from signing up to see a powwow with Aboriginal Experiences in Ottawa to taking part in a smudging ceremony at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatchewan.
These are just a few of the incredible adventures that await. Interested readers can find out more by downloading the guidebook below for free or request a copy in the mail:
Dené Sinclair
