Supporting Indigenous Tourism In Canada
Klahoose Wilderness Resort
I have been fortunate enough in my life to travel to some incredible places, both in Canada and around the world. What I have learned is that the best travel experiences – the ones that stay with you forever – are those that foster a connection to people and place.
Some of the most profound travel experiences I’ve had came in the early days of launching Landsby: when I was invited by the Six Nations of the Grand River to stay in one of their beautiful rustic cabins, when I visited the Spirit Horses with my wife and kids and slept in a teepee in Southwestern Ontario, and when we joined the Caldwell First Nation to learn about their culture, traditions, and food (created by Chef Billy Alexander).
All of these were such immersive and memorable experiences and they gave me a taste of what Canadian Indigenous tourism has to offer.
We have since, at Landsby, partnered with many Indigenous-owned and operated businesses around Canada to amplify and highlight these authentic experiences.
You can browse through Landsby’s Indigenous Experiences here.
We know we are at the start and there is a lot of work ahead of us. This is why Landsby has signed the Vision 2030 Pledge created by the Indigenous Travel Association of Canada (ITAC). This pledge means we will increase our efforts at Landsby to make Canada the leader in Indigenous Tourism by 2030.
Concretely, this means that by 2030 Indigenous tourism will grow to $6 Billion in contributions to Canada’s GDP, employ 60,000 people, and increase the number of Indigenous-owned and -operated businesses in Canada to 2,700.
Why is this important?
At a basic level, Indigenous tourism is Canadian tourism and we have and always will support a strong and resilient sector.
But beyond that, we have learned that growing Indigenous tourism is a way forward for us as a country toward reconciliation because tourism experiences have a way of connecting cultures and uniting people.
Indigenous tourism also creates a strong domestic product because Indigenous experiences are grounded, immersive and add so much value to those that travel in Canada.
We hope you will join us in celebrating, experiencing, and uplifting Indigenous tourism in this beautiful country.
