Canadians want to experience Indigenous-led tourism activities, survey finds

Recent survey results show that a majority of Canadians would be interested in participating in an Indigenous-led tourism experience.

The survey was commissioned by Intrepid Travel, a worldwide adventure travel company, and conducted by the market research firm Angus Reid. Results were released Aug. 18. More than 1,500 Canadian adults responded to the online survey, which ran from July 24 to July 28.

A key finding of the survey was that 57 per cent of the respondents said they are interested in participating in an Indigenous-led tourism experience, but only 18 per cent said they had already done so.

“I guess what really came out as a surprise… is that 54 per cent of the respondents said that they are not confident at knowing how to find an Indigenous-led experience,” said Christian Wolters, president of Intrepid Travel Canada. “And two-thirds don't even know where to begin.”

Additionally, 42 per cent of those surveyed said they worry about unintentionally being disrespectful during an Indigenous-led experience.

“These are some pretty big numbers,” Wolters said. “We knew that it would be a factor, but it's more pronounced than we had imagined.”

Wolters though is not surprised that there is such a great interest in Indigenous tourism.

“It's really showing that there's a lot of interest,” he said. “But the fact is that there's a big gap between the interest and the desire to experience it and being able to find these experiences themselves.”

Intrepid Travel officials are now hoping to bridge the gap. To this end, they have announced two new partnerships.

One is with Talaysay Tours. Starting in 2027, those who venture on Intrepid’s Grand Canadian Rockies trip will have a two-hour experience titled “We Are the Land” at Lost Lake in Whistler, B.C.

This guided trail experience will be led by Talaysay Tours, a company founded in 2002. It will include a tea ceremony, as well as Indigenous storytelling, cultural ecology, salmon knowledge and land stewardship.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) is located in Whistler. The venue allows visitors from around the world to get a glimpse and share in the culture of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation.

Lauren Everest, Tourism Whistler’s senior manager of communications and tourism, is pleased even more travelers will have an opportunity to visit the facility.

“We encourage visitors to make the SLCC part of their Whistler experience and deepen their understanding of the peoples who have called these lands home since time immemorial,” she said. “We’re pleased to see Intrepid Travel showcasing Indigenous-led tourism and creating more opportunities for travelers to engage with these important experiences.”

Intrepid has also added the Huron-Wendat experience in Wendake, Que. for its 2027 Eastern Canada by Rail trip. This experience will include a guided museum visit.

By adding these two experiences to its tour itineraries, Wolters said Intrepid is doing their best to boost Indigenous tourism.

“This is the crux of our over-all ambition and strategy,” he said. “We've decided that the best way, and I would say the only way to really provide Canadian travelers and worldwide travelers who are already taking our tours across Canada, is for them to have an Indigenous experience.

“And for them to have this experience, they should be travelling or experiencing this with an Indigenous-owned and led company.”

Wolters said more partnership announcements can be expected in the future.

“What we're doing is we are making sure that we partner, wherever possible, with different (Indigenous) companies out there that are already operating,” he said. “That way we can kind of combine their experience with ours and integrate it into our trip. So, the partnership works really well because they're looking for new customers and new ways of getting new travelers on their experiences.”

The partnerships are also advantageous for Intrepid’s customers as well. 

“It's a straight benefit because it augments the over-all authenticity and experience of the adventure they're going on in Canada,” he said.

Intrepid’s partnerships with Talaysay Tours and Huron-Wendat have brought the company closer to one of its goals.

“We made a commitment this year, which we've met, is to have all of our tours have 75 per cent inclusion of an Indigenous-led experience,” Wolters said. “And eventually we want to get to 100 per cent.”

Wolters said this marked the first time Intrepid Travel had commissioned a survey involving Indigenous-led tourism.

“We knew, just from talking to some of our customers and talking to people across Canada, that there was interest,” he said. “But we didn't really know the numbers or what the numbers would be.” 

Wolters said the survey was available in both English and French.

“It really told us that we were on the right track with what we were doing,” he added.