2025 Travel Manitoba Indigenous Marketing Plan
Indigenous Tourism
Manitoba is home to 63 First Nations communities and is the Homeland of the Red River Métis. The Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy identifies Indigenous tourism experiences as an important part of visiting Manitoba. These experiences have high potential to be recognized as iconic Canadian tourism products that capture the attention of visitors from around the world. Travel Manitoba collaborates with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Manitoba (ITM) and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) on business development, partnership and marketing activities.
Poised for Growth
In 2023, Indigenous Tourism added nearly $91 million to Manitoba’s GDP, supported 1,682 full-year-equivalent jobs in Manitoba and contributed $24.8 million in taxes to the Manitoba government.
The number of Indigenous tourism operators in Manitoba has grown from 81 in 2019 to 182 in 2024.
Indigenous Tourism
TARGET MARKETS
Primary
• Cultural Seekers
• Purpose Driven Families
TARGET MARKETS
Primary
• Manitoba
• Canada
Secondary
• Outdoor Explorers
Secondary
• United States (Short-haul)
• Germany
Indigenous Tourism Initiatives
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), Indigenous Tourism Association of Manitoba (ITM), and Travel Manitoba (TMB) will continue collaborating to develop, curate and promote authentic Indigenous experiences in Manitoba. The following strategy outlines the coordinated efforts across all three organizations.
ITM Website • Travel Manitoba will support ITM in their development of a consumer-facing indigenoustourismmanitoba.ca website by providing referral links, campaign support and brand amplification.
PUBLICATIONS
Inspiration Guide • Travel Manitoba’s inspiration guide features a dedicated section highlighting Indigenous tourism experiences. The print guide is distributed to 250,000 people each year and is also available online.
2025 Inspiration Guide
DIGITAL MARKETING
Website • Travel Manitoba’s website features a dedicated section showcasing Indigenous tourism experiences.
Manitoba Explorer App • Launched in 2022, the Manitoba Explorer app features Indigenous attractions on several trails and already has over 10,000 subscribers.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Blog • We endeavour to cover Indigenous tourism experiences throughout the year on our blog and regularly refresh existing Indigenous blog content as it is posted to our seasonal campaign pillar landing pages.
Social Media • Travel Manitoba promotes Indigenous tourism experiences throughout its annual content calendar and on multiple channels.
CONTENT MARKETING
Travel Manitoba will create a content marketing strategy in collaboration with ITAC and ITM to align efforts.
Indigenous Content Creators • Travel Manitoba and ITM will continue to develop an inventory of Indigenous content creators to support the development of authentic content.
Video • Travel Manitoba will build upon its series of ‘Adventures to Understanding’ videos with new chapters featuring market-ready experiences. Videos will also be updated with the new ITM branding and incorporated within Travel Manitoba’s leisure market campaigns and paid digital media.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
Spring Summer & Fall Winter Campaigns • Travel Manitoba features Indigenous Tourism Experiences as a campaign pillar. A dedicated landing page is created with paid media driving traffic to those pages throughout the campaign.
Canada’s Heart is Calling • The refreshed Manitoba brand features Indigenous artists and tourism experiences in a 30-second commercial.
TRAVEL TRADE
Travel Manitoba’s sales activities include prospecting, in-person sales meetings, relationship building, familiarization (FAM) tours and General Sales Agent marketing efforts. Travel Manitoba will continue to partner with Destination Canada to leverage resources.
Sales & Marketing Activities • Travel Manitoba continues to include key Indigenous attractions, businesses, and individuals throughout its itineraries and product promotions.
Target markets include Canada, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia.
International Indigenous Tourism Conference
Manitoba successfully hosted the 2023 International Indigenous Tourism Conference (IITC) and continues to support and participate in the event, alongside Indigenous Tourism Manitoba and local tourism partners. TMB is a sponsor of the 2025 conference.
ITM’s Annual Provincial Conference
ITM built on the success of its inaugural 2023 conference with a 2024 gathering. Travel Manitoba will continue to support and promote the event.