Vancouver – Over 600 Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada have applied, requesting $14.4 million from a COVID-19 Development Stimulus Fund the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) set up in March, providing businesses with grants of up to $25,000 each to help Indigenous entrepreneurs and their businesses stay afloat during these difficult times.
The deadline to apply for funding requests was yesterday, April 30, 2020 and 604 Indigenous tourism business owners responded. To create the fund, ITAC allocated its annual development grant money along with a large amount of savings from other programs, with a goal to assist in providing relief for Indigenous tourism businesses that are being affected by the impacts of COVID-19. Paired with additional federal funding, ITAC hopes the program will help businesses to prepare for future tourism seasons by allowing them to focus on market awareness, training qualified staff and designing sustainable business growth strategies.
The grants are being provided to Indigenous tourism business at various stages of their tourism development:
- 111 Export Ready Businesses – Refers to a business that markets to and through travel trade distribution sales channels, understands commission or net rate pricing, agrees to trade bookings and cancellation policy.
- 236 Market Ready Businesses – Refers to a business that markets to potential visitors; communicate with potential vis ...
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