Indigenous-owned tourism operations boost provincial GDP

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2024 (430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new report from The Conference Board of Canada confirms what a lot of the practitioners believed was the case — Manitoba’s Indigenous tourism sector is growing substantially.

The report, called “Going Places: Economic Impact of the Indigenous Tourism Sector in Manitoba” shows that the number of Indigenous owned businesses in the tourism sector has doubled since 2019 to about 170.

The growing number of such businesses – that are at least 51 per cent Indigenous owned — have created over 1,200 full time jobs and are adding about $91 million to the provincial GDP.

Holly Courchene, CEO of Indigenous Tourism Manitoba — itself a new organization formed only in 2021 — said she was not surprised at the substantial growth.

“I have been working with them for while but we have never had an economic impact survey done just on the Manitoba Indigenous tourism scene,” she said. “The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada has done nation-wide surveys in the past. I knew the outcome of this one would be more focused and we would be able to capture more of our operators.”

The Conference Board study showed that 56 per cent of the jobs are in the accommodation sector 17 per cent in arts, culture and heritage and 7.9 per cent in food and beverage.

Courchene said having an organization like ITM to support and promote the industry has likely made a difference.

“There are a lot of new businesses starting up but there are some who didn’t even really appreciate they were in the tourism business until the ITM was formed,” she said.

Travel Manitoba along with ITM and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding to grow Indigenous tourism in Manitoba.

“Travel Manitoba is a huge supporter of us,” said Courchene, who’s from Peguis First Nation. She used to own food truck for many year and sold bannock burgers and First Nation tacos at community pow wows.

In addition to large-scale enterprises like the Manito Ahbee Pow Wow and festival and the newly opened Wyndham Garden Winnipeg Airport Hotel in the Long Plain First Nation urban reserve in Winnipeg there are also Indigenous-owned casinos including South Beach Casino and Resort in Brokenhead, Sand Hills Casino owned by Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs south of Carberry and Aseneskak Casino at Opaskwayak Cree Nation beside The Pas.

There’s also a growing number of small independent operators including the Feast Café Bistro in Winnipeg and Whiteshell Petroforms where Diane Maytwayashingan, an Indigenous knowledge keeper and the heritage interpreter, conducts land-based learning tours in the Whiteshell Provincial Park.

“These experiences have high potential to be recognized as iconic tourism products in Canada that capture the attention of visitors from around the world”, said Colin Ferguson, president and CEO of Travel Manitoba. “With the leadership of ITM and Indigenous tourism operations, Manitoba has the potential to compete with world leaders in Indigenous tourism such as Australia and New Zealand.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca