February 28, 2019, Unceded Territory of the Beothuk & Mi’kmaq Peoples (St. John’s, Newfoundland) – Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) signed a memorandum of understanding today at the Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador Conference and Trade Show.
The memorandum will help to further establish and promote Indigenous tourism within Newfoundland & Labrador.
“We want to position Newfoundland and Labrador as an Indigenous destination, and by working with Hospitality NL – who is such a leader in the province, we believe this is completely attainable, ” says Keith Henry, president & CEO of ITAC. “The province has so much to offer in terms of culture and experience and we want to showcase that through our work with Hospitality NL.”
The agreement will see ITAC and Hospitality NL collaborating on Indigenous tourism initiatives, product development, and expanding training efforts in the region.
“We are very excited to formalize our great working relationship with ITAC by the signing of this memorandum,” says Hospitality NL Chair, Larry Laite. “Working with our Indigenous tourism partners here in the province, experience development initiatives are helping to showcase more of our provincial culture and heritage, and by promoting synergies between our organizations, we hope to further the development of Indigenous tourism in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
According to recent research released by the Conference Board of Canada, Indigenous tourism employs over 1,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador, and sees $95.2 million in revenues.
For more information, visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca.
About the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) works to improve the socio-economic condition of Indigenous peoples through the provisions of economic development advisory services, tourism conferences, capacity development training and workshops, industry research and information for Indigenous tourism operators and communities within the 13 regions; 10 provinces and three territories of Canada. ITAC develops relationships with other groups and regions with similar mandates, uniting the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada and works to enable collective support, product development, promotion and marketing of authentic Indigenous cultural tourism businesses in a respectful protocol. ITAC also just released their brand new experience guide, detailing Indigenous experiences across Canada, in which visitors can learn about the values of the respect, honour and integrity that guides our communities while discovering the traditional territories, history, people and culture that has been a part of our country for centuries. To down load the full 2018/19 Guide to Indigenous Tourism in Canada go to: https://indigenoustourism.ca/corporate/indigenous-tourism-experience-guide/. The ITAC Board is made up of Indigenous tourism industry representatives from each of the provinces and territories. For more information, visit www.indigenoustourism.ca.
About Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador
Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial tourism industry association for 35 years, is dedicated to advancing growth in tourism through advocacy efforts, skills and knowledge development and membership and networking opportunities. Hospitality NL’s Conference and Trade Show is the largest annual gathering of tourism operators within the province and is taking place in Gander, February 26-28, 2019. Visit www.hnl.ca/conference to learn more!
– 30 –
Media Contacts:
Melissa Ennis, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador
P: 709-722-2000, ext: 231
C: 709-227-1863
E: mennis@hnl.ca
Jenna Hickman, Beattie Tartan
P: 250-592-3838
C: 250-214-3480
E: jenna.hickman@beattiegroup.com
Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
P: 604-639-4408
E: keith@indigenoustourism.ca