by Shannon Monk KMKNO

It’s been a lot of fun to connect with so many communities and individuals with an interest in cultural tourism over the last year. We have recently completed a series of virtual community engagement sessions throughout the month of June with Acadia, Bear River, Millbrook, Potlotek, Paqtnkek, Pictou Landing and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre. We also have a session with Glooscap in July, and additional sessions slated for the fall and winter with Membertou, Eskasoni, Wagmatcook and We’koqma’q. As our COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, we also hope to revisit communities in person to continue these fascinating discussions.

The focus of our community sessions has been to discuss authenticity – what does it mean to be authentically Mi’kmaq within a tourism context? Our Authenticity Guidelines Interim Report (long version), Community Guide (short version) and Infographic (one-pager) are all now available on the KMKNO website. We welcome your feedback!

Overwhelmingly, we are hearing about Mi’kmaw interest in this important sector and receiving great feedback and suggestions for addressing authenticity. One of the things that surprised me was that many people did not see their connection to cultural tourism. Yet, pretty much anyone who is involved with Mi’kmaw culture is or can be connected to cultural tourism.

Visitors and travellers to Nova Scotia are looking for authentic cultural experiences. Sometimes this means a full day to ...