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

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Research

EDI Best Practices for Municipalitiesexternal link icon

The Diversity Institute, the City of Kingston, and the Future Skills Centre, partnered to collect and share Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Reconciliation (EDIR) practices from municipalities across Canada to develop a searchable database of EDIR resources. Currently, there are 260 best practices available through the tool.
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Project

Tech Futures Initiative

MindFuel came alongside Indigenous communities to address the barriers faced by Indigenous youth in rural and remote communities by implementing STEM and innovation programs for youth.
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Research

From Newcomers to Game Changers: Immigrant Skills Utilization in the Hospitality Sector

This issue briefing aims to identify targeted solutions that support immigrant talent development and skill utilization in the hospitality sector. Drawing on Labour Force Survey data from 2022 to 2024, we examined how well immigrants’ skills are utilized in the hospitality sector.
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