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

Exhausted worker sitting at desk grimacing and massaging his neck
Research

Long-Term Labour Market Scarring on Youth from Economic Shocks

Young people today are facing the lasting effects of the pandemic while grappling with challenges like the cost of living, the housing crisis, and accelerating climate impacts. For those reasons, it is important to think about policy responses that will help dampen the scars associated with the pandemic and mitigate future scarring.
Project

Early childhood education training lab

Even before the increased demand brought on by the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreements, early childhood educators (ECEs) were increasingly being called on to obtain more skills and credentials, without a parallel increase in wages, benefits, or improvements in working conditions. If wages and working conditions do not improve, there is concern that there will not be enough qualified ECEs to implement the national program.
group photo of project proponents for inuvialuit skills matrix project
Project

Inuvialuit Skills Matrix

Seeking to augment its database, this project sought to create the first inventory of Inuvialuit employment, skills, training, Traditional Knowledge and education.
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