June 20, 2017

The Tourism and Parks Division of GNWT Industry, Tourism and Investment is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Aboriginal Tourism Champions Program:

• Agatha Laboucan from Lutsel K’e

• Juanita Sangris, Dettah

• Belinda Blackduck, Gameti

Being an Aboriginal Tourism Champion means these three people are committed to support, develop, expand and improve authentic Aboriginal tourism products and initiatives in their communities. The funds they receive are used to support their tourism development activities, such as hosting community meetings to share information about tourism opportunities.

The Aboriginal Tourism Champions Program is designed to support Aboriginal tourism development across the Northwest Territories and promote it as a means for economic development and cultural revitalization.

Encouraging the development of Aboriginal Cultural Tourism is one of the key pillars of Tourism 2020 – a key strategy in the GNWT’s commitment to advance economic diversification through strategic investments in the tourism sector.