An Indigenous tourism strategy told by and for the Indigenous community

Edmonton is often known as the City of Events. But there is so much more – including a rich tapestry of Indigenous experiences waiting to be awakened. The City needed a strategy that would build and strengthen Indigenous tourism. However, it became evident that significant relationships between the Indigenous community and Explore Edmonton were missing. Therefore, we adopted a relationship-first approach. There was simply no other way to do this right.

To begin in a good way, the Enoch Cree Nation hosted a Pipe Ceremony, welcoming the Executives of Explore Edmonton to join. We then formed an Advisory Circle of diverse local First Nations, including Elders, youth, operator and entrepreneurs, and Explore Edmonton. This Circle of leaders guided our strategy development and continues to work in partnership with Explore Edmonton.

We also knew the project needed to unite a disconnected tourism community and listen to them. We engaged with a group of 20 known Indigenous operators and uncovered another 60 unbeknownst to Explore Edmonton, many of whom weren’t aware they are part of the tourism sector. Many of these operators were identified through our experiences assessment detailed above. This assessment was key to our understanding the state of Edmonton Indigenous tourism sector, and where it needed strategic attention and direction.

We wanted to  develop a strategy true to the both the voice and culture of who we met. With the Advisory Circle we presented the strategy as a powerful narrative through the eyes of Willow – a Cree female youth tourism entrepreneur who tells the story of Indigenous tourism development in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Beaver Hills House, or Edmonton). By sharing the strategy as a story, we were better able to connect the Indigenous Tourism community to the broader tourism community in Edmonton.

Read the strategy here. Listen to a sample here.

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