December 12, 2019
ITI’s Indigenous Tourism Development Officer Douglas Dillon attended the Regional Health and Wellness Expo in Behchokǫ̀ last week to provide information on the rewards and opportunities that can be realized from tourism careers.
He used the opportunity to deliver a half-day session of the NorthernMost Host training program – designed for NWT residents working in the service sector and interested in strengthening their customer relations skills.
The hands-on learning was well received by community residents who identified the program as a way to not only make them better hosts but as a tool to encourage cultural exchanges with visitors to the community. Locals expressed particular interest in the program as a means of encouraging youth to get involved, not only in tourism careers, but in promoting their culture in a respectful way.
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Storytelling was a major theme of the session and participants discussed how they could use traditional methods to not only show but teach respect for the land to visitors.
“Our discussion considered best practices and means to share culture, language and traditions – and encourage the observation of traditional practices and on the land activities in a way that represent the Tłı̨chǫ in a professional, compassionate, and friendly manner,” Dillon observed.
“It will serve as a stepping stone to the more-detailed conversations that we will have about growing Indigenous tourism opportunities in our communities.”
Additional NorthernMost Host training sessions will be considered for other Tłı̨chǫ communities.
Interested in having a NorthernMost Host session in your community? Click here for more information
NorthernMost Host is one of a suite of tourism programs delivered by ITI as part of its mandate to strengthen and diversify the economy.