Aboriginal Tourism 2.0: Canada’s First Nations Court Olympic Tourists

October 31, 2009 By Remy Leave a Comment

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Around Vancouver, several Indian bands are rewriting the book on Aboriginal tourism in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, moving away from tepee villages and kitschy gift shops and embracing more authentic and sophisticated experiences.  I checked out a few of the new Aboriginal offerings in an article for The Washington Post:

As hosts of the Vancouver Olympics, First Nations are ready to welcome the world

By Remy Scalza; Special to The Washington Post

It’s an Olympic first that has drawn few headlines. When the 2010 Winter Games open in Vancouver, B.C., in February, four Canadian Indian nations will be on hand — not as window dressing but as full-fledged hosts. “This isn’t just get out the drums and feathers for the Opening Ceremonies,” says Alex Rose, communications director for the Four Host First Nations, the society representing the four groups of Canada’s indigenous people who will host the Games. “Those days are gone.”

Largely gone, too, are the tepees, totem poles and tchotchkes that once defined aboriginal tourism in Canada. In their place has sprung up a new generation of indigenous travel experiences — from urban powwows to luxe native-owned wineries — aimed at courting the more than 250,000 visitors expected at the Games.

Click here for the full article on The Washington Post site.

Filed Under 2010 Olympics, Food & Wine, Published Articles, Vancouver Tagged With 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Aboriginal Tourism, Canada, NK'Mip, Pow-wow, Remy Scalza, Squamish, Vancouver

Vancouver’s Urban Pow-wows: Aboriginal Tourism Gears Up for 2010 Olympic Games

July 16, 2009 By Remy Leave a Comment



Official hosts of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Canada's Aboriginal groups have stepped up efforts to draw international tourists to reserves and traditional lands.

Urban pow-wows, like this one outside of Vancouver, welcome bands from across Canada for days of traditional music and dancing.



Editor’s Note: This entry originally appeared as a guest post on Inside Vancouver, the Tourism Vancouver blog.

The Olympic torch – symbol of international unity and harbinger of weeks of tape-delay sports coverage – has had some pretty memorable moments over the years. It’s been ski-jumped into Lillehammer, shot over Barcelona and levitated right up to the rim of Beijing’s Bird’s Nest. But its most significant journey may be yet to come.

As Canada gears up for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in February, the torch will pass through Indian reservations and communities throughout the country. This is no token nod to multiculturalism. In an Olympic first, four of Canada’s Aboriginal groups are official hosts of the Games.

“This isn’t just get out the feathers and drums for the opening ceremonies,” says Alex Rose, who directs communications for the Four Host First Nations, the Aboriginal groups hosting the Games. “Those days are gone.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under Vancouver, blog entry Tagged With 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Aboriginal Tourism, pow-wows, Remy Scalza, Vancouver