Alberta says it is aiming to be an “iconic” leader in indigenous tourism by helping support and build a vibrant sector and promoting the province as a destination for both Canadians and international visitors.
Travel Alberta, which co-hosted the recent 2026 International Indigenous Tourism Conference, is building a vibrant Indigenous tourism sector, with experiences ranging from Métis Crossing and River Cree Resort and Casino to evening markets and immersive cultural performances.
Terry Goertzen, VP of Indigenous Relations and Economic Development at Travel Alberta, says Travel Alberta has invested more than $13.5 million to support Indigenous tourism operators and Indigenous Tourism Alberta (ITA), the provincial organization that develops and promotes Indigenous tourism.
“With that $13.5 million, you see experiences like Métis Crossing, Painted Warriors and Warrior Women. We’ve also supported Enoch Cree’s Night Market,” he says, adding that staff work closely with ITA to provide direct support to operators across the province.
These combined efforts have helped create Indigenous tourism experiences across Alberta, from north to south, spanning all three treaty territories.
Economic Impact
Alberta’s Indigenous tourism sector continues to grow and shows national significance.
Goertzen says the province aims to lead Canada in providing authentic Indigenous experiences over the next five to 10 years for the international audience and for Canadians.
“We’ve seen growth in the last number of years where we’ve had the second-largest GDP impact that Indigenous tourism has had, the second-largest GDP impact to the sector compared to other provinces, says Goertzen.”
This position is supported by data from The Conference Board of Canada: in 2023, Alberta’s Indigenous tourism sector contributed $635.3 million in total GDP impact, second only to Ontario ($1,116.9 million) and ahead of British Columbia ($559.3 million).
Moreover, broader provincial tourism growth reinforces this trend. According to Travel Alberta, Alberta’s visitor economy reached $15.2 billion in tourism spending in 2025, growing faster than all other major provinces.
“To be clear, $15.2 billion is a remarkable number for Alberta, growing faster than all other major provinces,” Goertzen says. “And we think one of the major contributors that is fueling that growth is Indigenous tourism.”
Challenges
Despite this growth, tourism operators – the individuals, businesses, and organizations that create, manage, and deliver tourism experiences for visitors – face hurdles in marketing, accessibility, and funding.
Goertzen explains, “Indigenous tourism operators… are not getting the kind of exposure for their experience that they need to grow. A core challenge is marketing and creating access to their experience, because sometimes it’s quite remote. Some of it is just transportation issues so that a tourist can easily come and go from there.”
He adds, “Quite often I hear from operators that they’re lacking the marketing experience or the website development. They also have funding challenges. We at ITA are working hard at addressing those.”
Learning from the International Community
The 2026 International Indigenous Tourism Conference held in Edmonton in February offered lessons from international peers.
“What impressed me was the international presence at the conference, and some of the best practices I observed from meeting with operators and understanding how they built their products and engaged their communities. That was really one of the strong things I took away from the conference.”
Looking ahead, Goertzen emphasized expanding authentic experiences across the province to include more authentic Indigenous experiences like Enoch Cree, Metis Crossing, Blackfoot Crossing, which would help international travellers “really start to see Alberta tourism as a destination.”
He, concludes, “I am hoping that by working with ITA, with operators, making investments, that we can grow this industry so that it becomes iconic for Indigenous tourism all over the world.”
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