Tourism program will be ‘Indigenous ready’

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This article was published 03/02/2024 (600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indigenous communities looking to expand their tourism expertise can now sign up for a new training program that promises to enhance their skills, increase their capabilities and impact their goals.

Created by Aaron McKay, an Anishinaabe business owner and entrepreneur from Rolling River First Nation, and Jason White of JW Consults in Winnipeg, the Community Tourism Officer Training Program is a customized, 31-week, one-on-one program. Featuring four hours of interactive online engagement each week with White and McKay, and resources from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Tourism HR Canada, there are only four spots open to participants from across the country.

During the program, attendees will focus on applying each subject they learn directly to the needs of tourism officers and their community’s tourism plans, which McKay and White say will lead to increased capacity and abilities for tourism officers and measurable progress for community tourism.

White has been working in a consulting capacity with different Indigenous communities across Canada for the last 20 years and has developed tourism officer training programs before. Now he runs his own consulting firm. After he met McKay, the two continued to keep in touch, and White eventually pitched the idea of a tourism officer training program to him with an Indigenous lens.

During the program, White will focus on practical tourism strategies, while McKay will share his knowledge of the Indigenous culture and why that’s important to tourism in Canada in the modern age.

“The one-on-one with me will be one of practical statistics, tourism trends, financial management — things that they might need to learn to help communities with entrepreneurs, budget forecasting, how to write proposals, how to go after funding, all that kind of project management,” White said.

Although White has trained many tourism officers in Indigenous communities over the years, this is the first time he’s partnered with someone like McKay, who will bring the aspect of Indigenous culture into the equation, he said.

“It’s going to be really unique, definitely.”

McKay, the owner of Giiwe Media, is an educator, storyteller, photographer and tourism developer who is dedicated to supporting and elevating Indigenous voices and history throughout Canada. His interest in tourism was sparked at a Canada Day artisan market in Riding Mountain National Park last year.

“For me, it was an eye-opening moment that people had interest in learning about the history from the people who are directly connected to it,” said McKay, whose family and ancestors came from settlements along the north shore of Clear Lake. “I have a few photos that I took around the park, and people were asking about those photos and what the meaning behind them was.”

McKay took the opportunity to share his artistic perspective on the photos and what they meant to him, but also the historic perspective of Indigenous people native to the area. Sharing that information and how that connects to local tourism has felt, to McKay, like taking back control of his own story and the narrative that has surrounded Indigenous people since colonization.

“When I share that, I feel a sense of pride, and I also feel a sense of hope,” he said.

Education is a big part of the tourism industry, and it’s one way that young people learn their story and take control of their history and their narrative, McKay said.

In his work with Giiwe Media and the other roles he serves in Westman, including as the director of the Erickson Chamber of Commerce and the vice-chairperson at the Erickson Food Bank, McKay has noticed that a lot of people who are descended from European roots are wanting to learn more about Indigenous history and culture, but are afraid of causing offence or taking up space in places that they might not be welcome. These fears, while understandable, aren’t necessary, McKay says. Instead, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians should strive for a willingness to communicate and move forward together.

“People (need to) start becoming more vocal and sharing that they want to learn,” he said. “And another thing is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone.”

Reconciliation is a group effort, but there’s a lot of work to be done on the individual level, McKay said, and that’s where tourism comes in. It can often be the first step toward creating a bridge for sharing and for recognizing that every part of Canadian life is built on Indigenous history and the land.

“That’s what tourism is about. It’s to get you to think, to get you to step outside your comfort zone and to see things from a different perspective, and to engage with other people and other perspectives,” he said.

The beauty of the Community Tourism Officer Program is that it will give communities — especially First Nations or communities with strong ties to First Nations — the tools they need to tell their stories, empower themselves and take control of their history and share it with the world, McKay said.

And while many tourism programs talk about being “market ready,” the one McKay and White are launching will also talk about being “Indigenous ready.”

Through the program, McKay hopes to give communities the tools they need to enter a new world of tourism that focuses on the Indigenous identity and history of Canada, he said.

“What does being Indigenous ready mean for them? What’s their story, how can they empower themselves? How can they take control of their history, their stories and then share that with the world?”

To learn more about the program, email White at jdubconsults@gmail.com.

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