Visitor-Ready Tourism Businesses

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, the focus is on building capacity and strengthening your business. You’ll receive access to training opportunities, business development tools and resources, and advisory support through our RITS team. This includes guidance tailored to your business needs and referrals to additional support services.

You’ll also be notified of funding opportunities and provided with relevant industry research to help shape your planning and decision-making. These resources ensure that you’re well-prepared to advance confidently through the tourism development pathway.

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.

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Partnerships & Special Projects

Visitor-ready stakeholders begin establishing valuable connections through opportunities to collaborate with tourism partners, opening the door to peer learning, mentorship, and collective initiatives. Through these relationships, you become part of a growing ecosystem that supports shared success and long-term resilience.

Leadership and Organizational Excellence

Stakeholders are 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.

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.