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

Diverse team members collaborate in a modern office, including a woman using a wheelchair, as they discuss documents and ideas together.
Project

Municipal Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Sharing Platform

Led by the City of Kingston, in collaboration with the Diversity Institute and with support from the Future Skills Centre, the Municipal Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Sharing Platform was established to provide municipalities with a centralized space to strengthen local capacity to advance EDIR initiatives.
Child playing with molecules in class.
Research

Cross-Cultural STEMexternal link icon

An examination of the role of cross-cultural STEM curricula and related supports in helping First Nation, Metis, and Inuit students successfully graduate to post-secondary STEM fields and successfully graduate from post-secondary STEM fields to relevant employment opportunities. This project will identify best practices for designing, teaching, and supporting cross-cultural Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curricula for Indigenous learners in secondary and post-secondary fields of study.
Two young men in front of a laptop, smiling
Project

Capacity building for Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises: Skills Bridge

This project sought to understand SME skills and training needs and barriers faced in accessing skills training and talent.
View more