Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)

The Northern Tourism Recovery Incubator developed by ITAC was created to support SMEs in Northern communities to strengthen their business, rebuild Indigenous tourism operators and re-train staff members to support visitors and public health expectations as the tourism industry recovers.

The needs of these businesses were assessed through a national accreditation program (Project Rise) which provided individual business assessments and aggregated data for ongoing support. By working with the Indigenous provincial and territorial partners, ITAC supported the effective delivery of regionally specific support to revitalize operators ahead of the 2023 operating season. Regional needs were considered as businesses reported through the accreditation program, recognizing that the gaps in one part of the country may not be the same as another. This coordinated effort aimed to increase tourism revenues and jobs by increasing Indigenous tourism products to meet visitor demands.

Aerial view of the airport. Airplane taxiing to runway.

Featured Projects

Robotics engineer working on maintenance of modern robotic arm in factory warehouse
Project

Built to Scale: Assessing Microcredentials for Digital Sector Professionals

The project used a novel form of labour market information — LinkedIn profiles — to discern differences in skill, occupational seniority, and microcredential certification in the tech labour market in Canada. 
women working in small business leather workshop
Research

Environmental, Social, Governance Disclosure: SMEs and the Transition to Net Zero

Canadian SMEs produce approximately 45% of GHG emissions, but are not sufficiently equipped to engage in environmental, social, and governance issues related to reporting emissions. This report provides a contextual overview of Canadian SMEs working towards emissions compliance.
Research

AI-PowerED: Will AI Change Postsecondary Teaching and Learning?

What are the perceived impacts of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on postsecondary teaching and learning? In this research, we discuss the findings of our interviews with 42 individuals who are leading or supporting AI integration in postsecondary institutions (PSIs).
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