TRC Director Janet Mackay and TRC Senior Consultant Tracy Johnston attended the World Indigenous Tourism Summit in Waitangi in New Zealand in April. The Tourism Summit, which attracted delegates from 12 countries, was hosted by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA), an Indigenous led global network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and organisations who seek to give practical expression to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, through tourism. The theme of the Summit for 2018 was Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua – Man comes and goes, but the land remains.
The program aimed to bring an audience of indigenous tourism operators and wold leaders together to discuss economic, environmental, social and political advances and challenges in Indigenous tourism. Seeing indigenous tourism as the foundation of a destination’s offering, rather than a value add, was a key theme of the conference. Janet and Tracy appreciated the opportunity to be able to deepen and discuss their understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in positioning indigenous culture at the heart of a destination’s visitor experience. The outdoor movie night was also a highlight!
