Representatives of First nations gathered in Vancouver in early September for the second annual Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism and Trade Conference. The Keynote speaker was National Geographic explorer-in-residence Wade Davis, who told delegates: “I think there’s a moral and huge opportunity to become ambassadors for an entire new way of being, a new geography of hope.”
However, he added, such development needs to go beyond leveraging quotas of First nations into the field. “Real tourism is when aboriginal societies on their own terms can share their visions of life in a profound way that gives the visitor a true sense of authenticity, such that a visitor goes away as an avatar of the wonder of culture.”
In Brief
- Indigenous tourism in British Columbia employs 3,400 people, reached $50-million in revenue this year is expected to hit $68-million by 2017
In Depth
- Read the full article here
- Connect with the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance on Facebook.
- Learn more about how hotels can support indigenous tourism.
