Our Sustainable Tourism Journey

Tourism jobs have the potential to support individuals, families and communities both economically and culturally, strengthening our traditions while creating opportunity and security for the future. To maximize this incredible opportunity, we aim to:

✓ Develop community destination masterplans to identify immediate and long-term opportunities for local business development and sustainable employment.

✓ Assist communities in building tourism-related businesses that showcase traditional cultural practices.

✓ Assist tourism operators in growing and/our developing develop culturally-relevant offerings, instilling pride and knowledge of the cultural practices.

By supporting the development of cultural tourism in our communities, we can create meaningful, sustainable jobs that directly contribute to the preservation of our Cree culture and values.

Travellers around the world are increasingly looking for genuine, meaningful cultural experiences. We aim to draw more attention to authentic cultural experiences in our region through:

✓ Develop and launch Marketing campaigns focused on authentic Cree cultural experiences

✓ Support the development and promotion of cultural events that provide immersive, genuine experiences for both residents and visitors.

By raising awareness and interest in our unique land-based and cultural experiences, we can attract like-minded tourists, build mutual understanding, and find new ways to celebrate and share our vibrant culture with the world.

Timely, accurate, and accessible information on climate change is essential for tourism planning,  adaptation, and mitigation. We will focus on the responsible documentation and proactive sharing of knowledge by:

✓ Sharing documentation compiled in research projects with the Climate Change project teams and the Cree Nation Government (CNG) Climate Change Department to centralize our knowledge base.

✓ Developing and delivering information and training for staff, visitors, and guests on climate change impacts and local adaptation strategies.

These focused actions provide our members, communities, and visitors with the knowledge they need to recognize the impacts of climate change and contribute positively to our Nation’s long-term environmental health and resilience

Empowering our members and partners with practical knowledge is key to embedding sustainable practices across our Nation. We are committed to increasing local capacity by:

✓ Partnering with Greenstep to deliver specialized training on sustainability best practices directly in our communities.

✓ Providing targeted training opportunities to local tourism operators to ensure Eeyou Istchee leads the way in sustainable tourism practices.

These training initiatives will build a network of local experts, ensuring that sustainability is integrated into all facets of tourism development.

Effective leadership is founded on credible, comprehensive data that reflects the unique realities of our Nation. We are committed to developing a robust, locally-driven process to measure our impacts and translate findings into meaningful action by:

✓ Build our knowledge and capacity around measurement tools and data analysis

✓ Establishing a framework to leverage data into actionable goals and sustainable policies 

✓ Collaborate with communities and tourism operators to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment, establishing baseline data and identifying key priorities.

Taking action in this area will ensure that our planning and decision-making are guided by quantitative and qualitative information, leading to better outcomes for our members and our territory.

To empower our communities and ensure local benefits from tourism, we aim to:

✓ Partner with organizations, such as the Centre for Excellence in Destinations, to support the establishment and capacity building of strong local Destination Governance Organizations (DGOs)

✓ Equip DGOs to govern the development and management of tourism initiatives, reflecting community values and priorities.

By ensuring our communities are able to lead the way in the development of their own tourism sector, we can ensure our industry grows in a way that serves the needs, values, and priorities of each local population.

Supporting local and Indigenous suppliers strengthens our economy, reduces our environmental footprint, and embeds our cultural values into our business practices. We aim to formalize and streamline this priority by:

✓ Drafting a comprehensive Purchasing Policy that incorporates sustainability requirements.

✓ Identifying Indigenous suppliers to prioritize their inclusion in our supply chain.

✓ Generating a list of preferred suppliers that adhere to our commitment to sustainability and local sourcing.

These steps will ensure more of our purchases directly support our communities and/or businesses committed to our shared sustainability goals.

Strategic partnerships can bring incredible opportunities and knowledge to our communities. We aim to support sustainable tourism development by actively engaging with sustainability-focused networks and institutions, such as:

✓ The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

✓ GreenStep

✓ The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)

✓ Indigenous Tourism Quebec (ITQ)

Additionally, we will continue to actively engage with the Cree Nation Government, the provincial and federal governments, and private sector partners who share our sustainable tourism goals. Through ongoing advocacy and relationship-building, we can help to secure funding, strengthen local governance, and actively participate in conversations that impact our communities and our future.

The presence of resource industries provides an opportunity to create powerful partnerships that benefit our communities and diversify our economy. We aim to secure investment and support for our emerging tourism sector by:

✓ Accessing funding support and programs currently available through companies and industries in our region

✓ Exploring opportunities for new partnerships or projects that can support the development of cultural tourism

By strengthening these engagements, we can better utilize existing resource industry programs designed to foster community growth and cultural preservation in Eeyou Istchee.

Expanding accessible and sustainable transportation options is key to community connectivity, reduced carbon emissions, and enhanced visitor experience. We aim to achieve this by:

✓ Advocating for the implementation of ride- or car-sharing options within communities, utilizing successful models such as Communauto.

✓ Assisting in the development of hiking and biking trails within communities and across the region.

✓ Supporting the creation of bike rental opportunities for visitors, providing a climate-friendly way to explore the territory.

These actions will improve daily life for residents and offer sustainable, active transportation choices for guests.

Understanding and reducing our carbon impact is a crucial step toward climate resilience and sustainability for the Nation. We aim to implement a comprehensive strategy that empowers local action and regional planning by:

✓ Providing training for COTA staff to learn the methodologies and best practices for accurately calculating carbon footprints.

✓ Conducting carbon footprint assessments in collaboration with communities to establish an accurate baseline.

✓ Assessing the results and collaboratively developing robust, localized plans for carbon reductions across communities, businesses, and regional entities.

This work ensures our decarbonization efforts are informed by data and driven by local priorities.

Moving toward a circular economy reduces waste, creates resources, and builds community resilience. We aim to maximize our waste diversion efforts by:

✓ Eliciting the assistance of companies in the region to develop communal composting stations

✓ Connecting local composting programs with community greenhouse projects.

✓ Compiling and sharing comprehensive lists of existing eco-centres, including contact information and hours of operation, to increase public access.

These actions will turn waste into valuable resources, directly supporting local food security and reducing our environmental footprint.

Protecting our vital water systems requires a multi-faceted approach involving education, infrastructure, and community engagement. We aim to ensure the health and longevity of our water resources by:

✓ Implementing water conservation measures such as advocating for and utilizing low-flow toilets in community facilities and new developments.

✓ Establishing and managing boat washing stations in strategic locations to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

✓ Supporting educational programs and community monitoring initiatives that promote responsible water use and the protection of water systems.

These measures are essential to safeguarding our environment and cultural way of life for future generations.