A memorandum of understanding to advance Indigenous tourism in the province was signed between Tourism Saskatchewan and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada earlier in the week.
The agreement will focus on providing partnerships with other organizations hoping to create more economic development with tourism in Indigenous communities across the province.
Tourism Sask CEO Mary Taylor-Ash said the MOU will better align their marketing efforts, along with their development and promotion efforts for visitors.
“We know from our research and from the Conference Board of Canada, international visitors in particular are interested in visiting and taking part in Indigenous tourism experiences.”
Taylor-Ash said this is the right move since Indigenous tourism is growing and outpacing other sectors of tourism.
“We have, in our destination development strategy for tourism in Saskatchewan, noted that indigenous tourism is a big part of this,” Taylor-Ash said. “It’s certainly part of the experience and stories we want to tell.”
The Indigenous Tourism Association also has plans to hold training workshops for Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs and support the Saskatchewan Indigenous Tourism Summit next year.