Indigenous business owners offering cultural experiences are seeing a significant uptick in interest, particularly from domestic travellers, as Canadians seek Indigenous education and experience.
Deloitte Canada’s 2024 Summer Travel Outlook Report found that Canadians are looking to travel domestically this summer and spend more money than last year, and many are seeking Indigenous tourism experiences.
Of the Canadians living in Central Canada, 72 per cent plan to stay around Ontario and Quebec, the report found, with the Ottawa region making the top of the destination list. But travel plans are changing — the report found that awareness of Indigenous travel experiences is rising, with young people the most eager to participate.
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
As a whole, 57 per cent of Canadian respondents said they plan to take part in Indigenous travel experiences, compared with 31 per cent of international visitors.
Trina Mather-Simard, CEO of Indigenous Experiences’ Mādahòkì Farm, is seeing the increase in interest in real-time; she said she has seen “tremendous” growth over the years and is now selling out of this season’s group experiences.
After more than 20 years of operation on Victoria Island, Indigenous Experiences moved further west in Ottawa and opened the farm on a 164-acre property in the Greenbelt on Hunt Club Road. Since then, the farm has grown to offer a variety of experiences, from meals, workshops and seasonal festivals to interactions with its protected Ojibwe spirit horses.
“We partner with tour groups in Australia, New Zealand and throughout Europe, so we’ve often had strong visitation from international tour groups,” said Mather-Simard. “But what we’re seeing more of now is a lot more interest from Canadian families, younger generations and young families that are looking to have more authentic experiences as part of their travels.”
Mādahòkì’s offerings have grown to include festivals marking each season, including the popular Summer Solstice Festival, which will be held June 21-23 this year. The festival makes June the busiest month at the farm, Mather-Simard said, keeping 18 staff members and numerous volunteers on their feet. It’s fitting, since June is National Indigenous History Month.
The festival attracts 60,000-70,000 people to the region, Mather-Simard said, with 30,000 at the farm itself and the remainder attending events across the city, such as comedy nights, exhibits at the National Art Gallery and concerts at the National Arts Centre.
“We work very hard to keep festivals free, relying on a lot of government support and corporate partners to help cover the costs,” she explained. “It’s important to ensure there aren’t barriers to coming and learning and celebrating the indigenous culture at these events.
“We want the Indigenous community to come and access it, because these cultural gatherings are so important for us when we’re living in the city, disconnected from each other,” Mather-Simard continued. “But we also work hard to keep lots of opportunities free so we can invite all Canadians into that experience without the barrier of admissions.”
Some of the paid experiences, like the group activities, have been sold-out, and partnerships with local companies such as Enbridge, which is working to help build a children’s playground at Mādahòkì, have been growing. And while the farm has been cultivating international tourism for years, Mather-Simard said domestic and local tourism is the “growing market.”
Mādahòkì Farm isn’t the only one seeing an increase in demand. Marc Forgette is the owner of Makatew Workshops and he says his experiences and activities have seen an “uptick” in interest for the summer.
Makatew Workshops offers customizable packages and experiences that can include everything from education and cultural awareness, to activities such as creating traditional medicine bags or dreamcatchers. Forgette, who is a French Algonquin member of the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, said his clientele is primarily corporate and government.
Leading into the busy summer season, “numbers are bigger than pre-COVID,” Forgette said.
“I’m seeing it mostly from a corporate side and, to me, that’s still tourism because many are coming from outside the Ottawa region and want to take part in local powwows and learn about these communities that have been there longer than the city itself,” he said.
Prior to the pandemic, he said younger generations were particularly interested in Indigenous experiences, but with the discovery in 2021 of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., Forgette said he saw a significant increase in Canadians of all ages seeking education about Indigenous culture.
“I’m actually seeing an older audience coming in more and I think the reason is because I do workshops with high schools, grade schools, colleges and universities and the younger generation seems to be already aware and involved,” he explained. “A lot of schools have Indigenous studies now, so young people are very comfortable with the culture. It’s second nature to them.
“But the older audience is uncomfortable with the Indigenous aspects of things and they’re the ones coming out and wanting to learn,” Forgette continued. “This culture and history was never taught to them in school and they want to learn about it now.”
The workshops, which can vary from 20 attendees to thousands — the largest had 1,500 — can be customized based on the expertise and comfort level of the attendees, Forgette explained, and while they provide a “safe space” for non-Indigenous people to learn, it’s also a way for Indigenous people to “rediscover” their roots and culture.
In Lansdowne Park, Beandigen Cafe aims to create a similar “safe space” — this time for coffee-lovers — and has seen a new high in traffic so far this season.
Jayde Naponse, who co-owns and operates the cafe with her mother, said the cafe creates a space for workshops, activities and cultural gatherings, as well as being a coffee shop experience.
“We wanted to be a spot where people could come by, do a meeting, do some beadwork, and be surrounded by things that are comfortable to them, like artwork and Indigenous-made products,” said Naponse. “But we also have the initial draw of being a coffee shop, so someone comes into Lansdowne, wants a coffee, and then gets to learn about the culture, too.”
Since opening during the pandemic, Beandigen — a play on the Anishinaabemowin word “Biindigen,” meaning “welcome” — has expanded, now offering frequent beadwork workshops and an Indigenous marketplace. And with its strategic location in Lansdowne, Naponse said they’re busier than ever.
“It’s hard to tell, because we’re still new and every year we see an increase,” she explained. “But we’ve been busier in the last few weeks than we were used to and there’s lots of excitement every year that we get away from the pandemic as people are more and more comfortable and excited to go out.”
At Ottawa Tourism, Catherine Callary, vice-president of destination development, said Indigenous tourism opportunities have been top-of-mind — and are paying off.
The Indigenous Tourism Advisory Circle, an Ottawa Tourism committee, defines “Indigenous tourism” as experiences that are Indigenous-led, Indigenous-delivered, and benefit Indigenous communities.
Ottawa Tourism also recently appointed Colleen Nolan to the new role of Indigenous tourism liaison, and as the organization looks to further goals of reconciliation, supporting Indigenous tourism is the first step, said Callary.
“Beyond the fact that these activities are fun and amazing and eye-opening, we have data that shows there’s a real opportunity and growth potential in this market and if we can grow the Indigenous segment that will have an incredible impact on the conversations visitors have on Indigenous culture, storytelling and perspectives in Canada,” she explained. “By offering Indigenous tourism opportunities, we give visitors what they’re looking for, which is authentic and meaningful experiences.”
To Mather-Simard, who considers herself a veteran when it comes to Indigenous tourism experiences, the benefits have several layers — the rest of the world is just catching up.
Socially, Indigenous tourism opportunities offer a form of reconciliation by creating a safe and welcoming space where Indigenous people can gather and non-Indigenous visitors can learn about the culture. But to Mather-Simard, the economic aspect of these opportunities is also important.
“As an Indigenous non-profit business, most of our staff are Indigenous, so we create employment. We represent almost 50 small Indigenous businesses in our marketplace that people can support by buying their products and with events like the Summer Solstice Festival, we have vendors that we can support,” she explained. “We’re always encouraging people to give back to the Indigenous economy and support the businesses and enterprises.
“So of course there are social benefits, but it’s also economic reconciliation,” Mather-Simard continued. “We support the Indigenous economy through tourism, which allows people to create a living by keeping their culture alive.”
