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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Project

Building Capacity and Skills to Survive Shock for Current and Future Not-for-Profit Managers: A New Approach

This project aimed to develop and test a new skills training model that bridged the academic and not-for-profit sectors. The experiential learning course called “Innovation for Social Impact” was developed and launched to achieve this goal.
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Research

Gearing Up for Global Exports: Identifying Skills and Promising Practices to Support Indigenous Exportersexternal link icon

Indigenous small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada continue to be under‑represented in global trade due to long‑standing barriers that limit their access to global markets, financing, and export‑related support.
Research

Digital Skills for a Future-Ready Worldexternal link icon

We know that digital skills are essential for a strong post-pandemic recovery. But we don’t have a clear picture of the exact digital skills that Canadian employers are looking for. We need to understand these gaps so we can respond with the right tools and training.
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