Embracing Indigenous Tourism to Support Reconciliation

June marked National Indigenous History Month, but it is important to support Indigenous tourism, cultural preservation and reconciliation in Canada year-round.

An Indigenous tourism business or experience is defined by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada as “a tourism business majority owned, operated and/or controlled by First Nations, Inuit or Métis peoples that demonstrates a connection and responsibility to the local Indigenous community and traditional territory where the operation is based.” It is also important to note that authentic Indigenous tourism is by not about Indigenous people.

“Canada is built on Indigenous land,” says CBRE Tourism Consulting’s Rebecca Godfrey. “International and domestic visitors want to understand this country’s history and learn about Indigenous knowledge and traditions in a genuine and mutually respectful manner.”

As travellers become more intentional about choosing authentic experiences, Indigenous tourism offers a variety of options. Destination Indigenous breaks down Indigenous tourism experiences into five categories: Culture & Heritage, Nature & Wildlife, Arts & Crafts, Culinary Experiences and Reconciliation.

Godfrey spotlights five Indigenous tourism destinations from across the country showcasing the great variety of cultures, different Nations and traditions.

Culture & Heritage: Métis Crossing, Alberta

Métis Crossing, Alberta’s Métis cultural interpretive centre, shares Métis stories through immersive activities such as traditional dances, guided wildlife tours and paddling along a historic fur trade route. Visitors can stay at the lodge, in sky-watching domes or in trapper’s tents and enjoy Métis dishes made from locally harvested ingredients such as Saskatoon berries, Haskap berries and bison.

Métis Crossing takes a sustainable approach to tourism by shaping its practices around a deep connection with the land, ensuring its heritage can be preserved for future generations. Permaculture installations help reuse water from the site’s drainage systems to grow plants traditionally used by Métis people.

A solar farm project will help offset the Métis Nation of Alberta’s electricity use and generate economic benefits for the community, with revenues supporting local sustainable development and social initiatives. “Métis Crossing is a great example of regenerative tourism, which is informed by traditional Indigenous stewardship towards the land and the support of local communities,” Godfrey says. “Indigenous peoples should be looked to as leaders in this space,”

Nature and Wildlife: Aski Holistic Adventures, Saskatchewan

Aski Holistic Adventures offers year-round wilderness adventures along the Saskatchewan River delta. Cree-Métis guide Michela Carriere shares her knowledge of the land through herbal medicine walks, canoeing trips, bird watching and nature therapy workshops. The expeditions aim to foster spiritual, emotional and physical healing, and transformation.

“Visitors can learn from ancestral wisdom that has incorporated nature and wellness for centuries,” says Godfrey. “By experiencing Indigenous ways of living in the presence of Indigenous guides, visitors have the opportunity to develop a deeper connection with the land and its people.”

Crafts and Traditional Experiences: Manito Ahbee, Manitoba

Travel Manitoba is a great example of a Canadian tourism organization working with Indigenous partners to encourage visitors to immerse themselves in authentic Indigenous-led tourism experiences. One such experience is Manito Ahbee, a yearly festival held on a sacred site of the same name, where the First Peoples of Turtle Island (North America) have gathered for millennia.

The festival unites residents and visitors in honouring Indigenous culture and teachings through events including a pow wow, a marketplace selling local Indigenous art and merchandise, Indigenous film viewings, and a horse relay race. “The Manito Ahbee Festival teaches us that art brings people together and helps preserve Indigenous culture and heritage,” Godfrey says. “According to its creators, the site on which it is held is ‘recognized and honoured by Indigenous peoples across North America as a sacred place for all people’.”

Reconciliation: Woodland Cultural Centre, Ontario

The Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) is located on the site of Brantford’s former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which closed in 1970. The WCC spotlights the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands and preserves Indigenous language and heritage through events, workshops and a museum containing over 50,000 artifacts. It also offers a virtual tour of the former residential school with information on its 140-year history and testimonies from five survivors.

“The unmarked graves found across the country have made it clear that there is an urgent need for all of us to partake in reconciliation,” says Godfrey. “The WCC makes listening to the stories of survivors of residential schools and honouring those who have passed accessible to everyone.”

Culinary Experiences: Red Bank Lodge, New Brunswick

The Red Bank Lodge is an Indigenous-owned log cabin overlooking the Miramichi River and connected to two national historic sites showcasing the cultural heritage of the Mi’kmaq people of Metepenagiag. Visitors of the Red Bank Lodge can partake in guided Atlantic salmon fishing trips, wildlife watching, winter snowshoe tours and traditional bread making. They can also enjoy local Indigenous cuisine including wild game, fiddleheads, bannock and teaberry leaf tea. “Indigenous teachings show us that traditional culinary experiences are based on a profound respect for the land,” says Godfrey.

Tourism for Reconciliation

Indigenous entrepreneurs, artists and communities often benefit from enhanced economic prosperity through Indigenous tourism. Indigenous communities can start to heal and reclaim their traditions by sharing their stories and culture through Indigenous tourism, which thereby plays an important role in cultural preservation, revitalization and reconciliation.

Indigenous communities in Canada aren’t the only ones leveraging tourism to share their traditional ways. Māori culture has become integral to Tourism New Zealand’s visitor experience. Tourism Australia has partnered with Reconciliation Australia to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan to support local Indigenous tourism. And Discover Aboriginal Experiences promotes over 200 Aboriginal-led tourism experiences across Australia.

“It’s not just about providing authentic experiences for travellers,” says Godfrey. “It’s about supporting Indigenous communities, preserving and revitalizing their cultural legacies and participating in reconciliation. Authentic Indigenous tourism has the potential to be a powerful tool for change.”