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

Research

Finding value: identifying and assessing social and emotional skills in the tourism and hospitality industry

This impact paper identifies the value of a focus on social and emotional skills (SES) recognition for employees and employers and examines assessment frameworks, approaches, and platforms that can support SES credentialing in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Multi-ethnic group of students walking
Project

Using behavioural insights to increase post-secondary and career services participation

In the context of a rapidly changing world of work, Canadians need access to better and more relevant labour market information (LMI) to make informed decisions while navigating the labour market. This project, through the execution of a number of randomized control trials, tested how best to inform, empower, and engage Canadians when it comes to making decisions about work.
Heavy equipment in a Northern landscape
Research

Learning From One Another: Labour Markets in Nunavut

As key industries in Nunavut recover from the pandemic, the economy is expected to grow over the next 20 years. However, skills mismatches and other challenges continue to limit the capacity of the resident labour force to satisfy labour market demands.
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