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Visitor-Ready Tourism Businesses
Join a diverse and growing community within the tourism ecosystem. ITBC welcomes your business to connect with community, resources, and support.
Visitor-ready tourism businesses are operating in good standing and are open for visitors with a dedicated storefront or brick-and-mortar location. These businesses receive benefits to help develop and grow their tourism business.
As a Stakeholder with Indigenous Tourism BC, you gain more than just access to services—you join a community. A community working together to grow Indigenous tourism in a way that is authentic, sustainable, and deeply grounded in Indigenous values and voices.
Benefits
At the visitor-ready stage, we help you build capacity and strengthen your business. You’ll receive access to training opportunities, business development tools, funding opportunities and resources. Our RITS team is there for you to provide tailored guidance and referrals to additional support services. These resources ensure that you’re well-prepared to advance confidently through the tourism development pathway.
Begin establishing valuable connections with tourism partners, peer learning, mentorship, and collective initiatives. Become part of a growing ecosystem that supports shared success and long-term resilience. You will be invited to ITBC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) to hear updates on organizational priorities and sector developments. You also receive email updates and an optional newsletter, keeping you informed about available programs, initiatives, and opportunities to engage with ITBC and the broader tourism sector.
Indigenous-owned Designation
All visitor-ready businesses are automatically awarded the Indigenous-owned Designation. This offers an ease of identification to visitors, media, travel trade, industry, government and other organizations, as well as marketing benefits across ITBC platforms. This designation assures visitors that their choice to support Indigenous-owned tourism businesses directly contributes to successful and self-determined First Nations and Indigenous participation in the industry. It also educates the media on the importance of cultural protection.
Eligibility
Indigenous owned tourism businesses in British Columbia are welcome to apply to be a Stakeholder with Indigenous Tourism BC. Tourism businesses fall within 3 categories: visitor-ready, market-ready and export-ready, depending on their operational capacity. The application is the same for all businesses, but the eligibility and benefits differ to match the needs of different sized businesses.
Eligible visitor-ready tourism businesses are Tier 2 Stakeholders with ITBC and meet the following criteria:
- Offer a tourism experience in B.C.
- 51% or more Indigenous-ownership.
- In good standing with all applicable business licenses, insurance, and legislative requirements.
- Maintaining a staffed business location with a set schedule of operating hours.
- Provide a contact telephone number or email contact year-round. If closed for season, provide automated response through voicemail and or email.
- Have branded on-site signage.
Indigenous-Owned Tourism Business Application