THIS, MOST LIKELY, is the “must-see and do” checklist many tourists to Canada compile before arriving:

Scenic train ride through the Rockies. Check!
Go whale watching. Check!
Visit Niagara Falls. Check!
Experience northern lights. Check!
Search for polar bear. Check!
Visit a national park. Check!
Drive the Cabot Trail. Check!
Walk the streets of Vieux Quebec. Check!
Etc, etc, etc …

These days, though, more and more international visitors to the Great White North are showing a keen interest in Indigenous tourism. In fact, according to industry research, 1-in-3 visitors to Canada now say they want to participate in an “authentic” Indigenous experience while here.

Above: Indigenous tourism is the fastest growing sector in Canada but COVID-19 has hurting its outlook.

That interest from abroad has been a much-needed boon for Indigenous communities across Canada, creating 60,000 jobs and 1,699 travel-related businesses, according to 2019 statistics published by the Conference Board of Canada. Indigenous tourism has even become a major contributor to Canada’s GDP — $1.9 billion annually.
Of course, that was all before COVID-19 arrived.
Now,  according to a report issued by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), employment in Indigenous tourism this year is expected  to drop by a staggering 60 per cent, revenues will decline by more than $550 million and over 700 Indigenous tourism-related businesses are at risk of closing permanently.
“We were on a roller coaster ride straight up (before COVID-19),” says Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC.
“As an Indigenous person (Métis) it makes me sad to see what’s happened. So many people depend on tourism and the losses will reach deep inside Indigenous communities, affecting even artists, dance groups, etc.”
Henry, who has played a major role in Indigenous tourism’s sharp rise in popularity since becoming ITAC's head in 2005, recently helped draft a four-year, $50 million COVID-19 recovery plan.
“Our priority is to rebuild our domestic market first and then focus on our international markets,” says Henry, who got involved in Indigenous tourism after graduating from university in 1995.

Above: Keith Henry, left, is President and CEO of ITAC, which promotes Indigenous tourism.

Officials at the Conference Board of Canada suggest a “phased approach” will be needed for recovery to accommodate the different needs, time horizons and safety requirements of the diversity of Indigenous experience providers across Canada.
“Listening to communities and working with their members and businesses will be fundamental to recovery and renewal (of Indigenous tourism),” says the board’s associate director Adam Fiser.
Unfortunately,  ITAC is getting very little financial help for its recovery.
Destination Canada, for example —it’s the federal agency responsible for promoting Canadian tourism globally, whose annual budget is $95.5 million — recently doled out a paltry $1.5 million to help Indigenous tourism recover from the pandemic and, according to Henry, ITAC is getting no financial support from provincial, city or territorial governments.
Recent newspaper articles have highlighted that Canada’s branding internationally is “completely void of Indigenous culture.” Destination Canada appears committed to promoting Canada through mountains, moose and Mounties, despite the high interest for Indigenous experiences from abroad.
While Destination Canada’s contribution to Indigenous tourism’s recovery seems disproportionate to the $1.9 billion the sector contributes to the country’s GDP, Henry is not critical.
“We have built a good working relationship with Destination Canada. They are a great partner. They’ve helped us grow. The $1.5 million is a good start,” he says.

Above: Europeans love participating in Indigenous nature tours while in Canada.

Henry admits that it could take “three to five” years to “reach the numbers we hit in 2019,” but he remains optimistic about Indigenous tourism’s overall future.
“The United States remains our largest market but momentum from China is really building and that bodes well for the future,” says Henry. “China is now our third largest market, just behind Europe (interest mostly comes from the U.K., Germany and France). And it took us just three years to build the Chinese market.”
International curiosity in Indigenous tourism “really took off” after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler and Vancouver, according to Henry.
“People from all over the world were introduced to Indigenous culture (a major theme of the Games) while watching the Olympics on TV and that really sparked interest from abroad and it’s been getting stronger every year since.”
The key to Indigenous tourism’s growth, though, revolves around the “authentic experiences” most foreign visitors crave. However, Henry fears Indigenous tourism could become “Disneyfied” by major tour operators and foreign travellers will be denied a rich cultural experience authentic Indigenous tourism supplies.
Five years ago, there were less than 40 Indigenous tour groups that Henry describes as being “export ready,” but now there are over 130 that can supply foreign visitors with an authentic experience. That said, over 2,000 North American tour operators offer Indigenous tours and some of those products are watered down.
Not having enough Indigenous-led companies has, in some cases, led to cultural appropriation and misrepresentation when large tour operators try to meet demand without enough Indigenous contribution, Henry told a 2019 industry conference in Vancouver.
"These experiences need to be telling the truth about culture," he said. "It can't be contrived — it can't be Disneyfied.”
To that end, ITAC has set out a strict checklist for tour operators and guides to follow in hopes tourists will leave with the right impression about Indigenous culture and communities.
Cultural tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing markets globally and Canada’s Indigenous communities are well suited to supply visitors with an authentic experience they’ll never forget.
Those planning a trip to Canada should make one thing top of their must-see and do checklist: Indigenous tourism.