by Shannon Monk KMKNO

This is our final article in an educational series of articles looking at intellectual property (IP) systems. Our last two articles in March and April provided a primer on what intellectual property is, the different types of IP and how they can be used to protect our traditional knowledge and cultural practices. This month we are diving deeper into how IP can be leveraged to support and grow cultural tourism in our region with some examples for cultural tourism businesses to consider.

Cultural tourism supports our communities in many ways – whether it’s through economic independence, job creation, or providing opportunities to share our culture and language through community-based products and experiences. The sector is large and includes many different industries such as accommodation and hospitality, tour operators, transportation, gastronomy, etc. The demand for authentic Indigenous cultural experiences is growing and IP rights are a powerful tool for cultural tourism business to promote and showcase diverse Mi’kmaq products, services and experiences in ways that support our communities.

Research from the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has shown that the intellectual property system is a major driver of growth of the tourism sector. There are many ways of IP laws such as copyright, trademarks, geographical indicators, patents, etc. can support cultural tourism businesses including:

  1. Reinforcing the quality of the tourism e ...
    To view the full story, you must be a subscriber. Click here for information on how to subscribe.

     

    Tags: , , , , ,