Indigenous tourism expects decline

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada expects to see a 66% decline in direct GDP (down to $555 million) and a 60% decline in employment (down to 14,624 jobs) this year as the global tourism industry is hammered by the effects of COVID-19.

The Conference Board of Canada data emerged from Indigenous tourism operators who participated in a survey of the sector. The forecast is in contrast to 2019, when more than 36,000 people worked in the Indigenous tourism sector, and its direct economic contribution exceeded $1.6 billion in GDP.