b'INDIGENOUS TOURISMGreat Lakes Cultural CampsTake a break from your Wi-Fi and handheld devices and recon-nect with the land, the water and the culture of the Anishinaabe of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, located in the northeastern section of Manitoulin Island. Great Lakes Cultural Camps are a group of camps and trips that promote awareness of First Nations culture and history through a cultural interpreter, which includes language camps so visitors can connect or reconnect with their language. Once registered for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, be prepared for walking, hiking and canoeing half-day trips surrounded by breathtaking scenery. If you are visiting in August, the community is also home to the famous Wiikwemkoong Trad-itional Pow-Wow, held every Civic Holiday weekend and touted as the largest and oldest pow-wow in Eastern Canada. Great Lakes Cultural Camps P.O. Box 6, 2332 Wikwemikong Way Wikwemikong, ONP0P 2J0(705) 942-9909 info@culturalcamps.com www.culturalcamps.comOver the years organizations like the ITO and ITAC haveThe four levels consist of Business-open, Visitor-ready, Market-attended tourism shows in China, France, the U.K. and theready and Expert-ready. There are over 170 Market-ready busi-ITB Berlin, which is the worlds largest tourism trade fair,nesses and 35 Expert-ready businesses in Ontario alone. It is the touting their partners and promoting their members businessesExpert-ready businesses that are promoted internationally, but every with effective results. member business is supported and advocated for on behalf of ITO.Indigenous tourism operators in Ontario who want to accessBy aligning an Indigenous tourism business with ITO, opportunities like these can join the ITO as a member at no cost,Eshkawkogan says it gives the business credibility and assures the where they will be assessed through ITOs four levels of businesses. industry that the business has been vetted and can be counted on We are an easy start for the business owners who wantto provide that exceptional service or experience.exposure. By joining ITO it automatically makes you a memberIn the end, most of the 600 businesses in Ontario are of the national tourism organization ITAC. Its not reallyworking full-time and making a living, but they are doing all the affordable for small business operators to travel to Beijing orwork; we are just there to bring them more business and support Berlin, but first you must join and then we can assess, he says. them as much as we can.WHAT IS INDIGENOUS TOURISM?Indigenous tourism isSTATS: Developing 4 sectors of Responsible Tourism:defined as all tourismIn 2015, the top threeResponsible community-based tourism and entre-businesses majoritytourism sectors forpreneurship with a focus on culturally authentic owned, operatedIndigenous tourism were: products and services is our advantage. Quality, and/or controlled byinnovation and community capacity are central to our First Nations, Mtis or Outdoor approach to support organic growth in 4 sectors of Inuit peoples that canAdventure: 21% Indigenous tourism:demonstrate a connection Retail: 20% 1. Cultural, Ecotourism & Adventureand responsibility toAccommodations:the local Indigenous18% 2. Sports & Recreationcommunity and traditional3. Accommodations & Food Servicesterritory where the operation resides. (from Indigenous Tourism Association of Canadas4.Events & Tourism Business Services The Path Forward: Five Year Plan ) (Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada) (from Indigenous Tourism Ontario2020 Strategy)28l ISSUE 1 2019C hIEfS ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazInE'