5-year agreement key investment in Manitoba Indigenous tourism sector

A new five-year agreement between Travel Manitoba, Indigenous Tourism Manitoba and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada aims to inject $127 million into the provincial sector.

The memorandum of understanding, signed Thursday at the third annual Indigenous Tourism Manitoba Conference (and second annual Grass Grows Rivers Flow Tourism Summit) at Elkhorn Resort on the edge of Riding Mountain National Park, is expected to help launch 40 new tourism businesses and create 714 jobs by 2030.

The initiative will also strengthen the existing Indigenous tourism sector — currently worth $91 million annually and employing more than 1,600 people — the fastest-growing segment of the province’s industry.

“This allows us to have operational funding,” said Holly Spence, CEO of Indigenous Tourism Manitoba, which was established three years ago. Before Thursday’s agreement, the organization was working with project-driven funding.

With stable funding, Spence said it can now hire three additional staff (including a marketing manager) and secure office space. That capacity will allow the organization to continue its development work with Indigenous businesses, while also promoting them on social media.

Indigenous Tourism Manitoba has already worked closely with the National Indigenous Residential School Museum near Portage la Prairie, and Spence said the agreement will help draw more international tourists to that site. She also noted Indigenous tourism experiences in Manitoba have more than doubled in recent years, to more than 170 now from 81 in 2019.

“There’s a tremendously strong Indigenous culture in Manitoba and support for Indigenous tourism in the province, along with a solid foundation for supporting economic development among communities and entrepreneurs,” Keith Henry, president and CEO of Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, said in a release.

“Moreover, Travel Manitoba’s contribution to the ITDF prioritizes infrastructure, human resources, development and marketing to support Indigenous tourism growth, aligning with ITAC’s strategy for Canada to become a global leader in Indigenous tourism by 2030.”

Travel Manitoba also announced it will contribute further by donating five per cent of all merchandise sales to the Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund, providing additional support for Indigenous operators and the industry as a whole.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca