New partnership brings reconciliation to travel industry

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/03/2022 (1626 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new partnership between Treaty One Development Corp. and an Indigenous-owned travel agency looks to further reconciliation and create over 100 jobs.

“We never really had a footprint in the travel industry as Indigenous people, but I think the whole mindset of that is changing,” said Long Plain First Nation Chief Dennis Meeches.

The corporation is now part owner, and will work closely with, Indigeno Travel, it announced Wednesday.

“Indigenous people have a lot to offer in tourism — through our culture, our traditions, our customs and our heritage — and I think… people are fascinated with that, and they want to learn more about Indigenous people,” said Meeches, who is part of Treaty One Development Corp.’s team.

Indigeno Travel touts itself as Canada’s first national and full-service Indigenous-owned travel agency. It offers corporate and leisure trip planning, and it highlights Indigenous tours in Canada and abroad, including a four-day trip on Manitoulin Island.

More options are coming, Meeches said.

“Definitely with Long Plain, we already have important events that happen, so (it’s) just being able to foster that and grow that tourism sector,” he said. “It’s been lacking for many, many years.”

Showcasing Indigenous culture — like inviting visitors to powwows and campgrounds — is gaining traction, Meeches said.

“Ecotourism is huge, so I think we’ll be able to provide a lot of that service to our Indigenous community and our non-Indigenous community,” he said.

Indigeno Travel had 42 employees in 2019 and didn’t lay anyone off during the pandemic, according to Chris Maxfield, the company’s co-founder.

He plans to hire 100 more in “the coming years,” though there’s no publicized end goal.

“It used to be easy to forecast that,” Maxfield said. “Travel comeback is fairly spotty right now, so it’s a big goal, but it is definitely attainable.”

Indigeno Travel is working with Red River College Polytechnic on a course to produce Indigenous travel advisers, Maxfield said. It’s where the primary hires will come from, he added.

“We’ve got (the program) developed,” he said, adding he couldn’t provide more information.

Corporate travel has been booming lately as companies look to support Indigenous-owned businesses, Maxfield said.

“There’s a lot of good will out there, so we’re banking on that,” Meeches added. “I think it’s going to bode well for Winnipeg… to have a first-class Indigenous travel company.”

The agency looks to tackle Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 92, a call for businesses to involve Indigenous people, Maxfield said. Clients will deal with Indigenous advisers, and it might be the only time they do, Maxfield said.

“We think that by having a business relationship even with an Indigenous company will help break down stereotypes and negative preconceptions… just by simple interaction,” he said.

Online sites like Expedia detract customers from travel agencies, providing a challenge for Indigeno, Meeches noted.

But, the pandemic may have brought awareness to the importance of using travel agents, Maxfield said.

“When you have an agent and an agency behind you, then you know you have somewhere to go,” he said. “Somebody has your back.”

Treaty One Development Corp. has 35,000 members, and it’s ready to spread the word about Indigeno, said Whelan Sutherland, the corporation’s CEO.

“One of the things we want to bring to our First Nations communities is the ability to say, ‘Yes, if (you) want to travel, here you go — here’s a venue.’”

The Tribal Councils Investment Group of Manitoba has been an Indigeno Travel investor for years.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com