TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – June 19, 2026

Guest Contributor – Brenda Baptiste, Board Chair, Indigenous Tourism BC

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2026

As we welcome summer and celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, I invite you to join us in recognizing the vibrant cultures, histories, achievements, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Canada.

As a grandmother and for all Indigenous peoples, celebration is not limited to a single day or month. We celebrate our families, communities, lands, languages, traditions, and stories every day. National Indigenous Peoples Day provides an important opportunity to share these celebrations with others to create space for learning, connection, and deeper understanding.

This year, that invitation extends to visitors from around the world as British Columbia welcomes an extraordinary global moment. During National Indigenous History Month, FIFA World Cup 26™ will bring hundreds of thousands of soccer fans to our province to celebrate with us.

This is an incredible opportunity to share the beauty, diversity, and strength of First Nations and Indigenous communities across British Columbia.

Tourism can be a powerful pathway for connection, understanding, and reconciliation. Indigenous Tourism BC’s work is grounded in supporting Indigenous communities as they lead tourism development on their own terms, guided by their own priorities, values, cultures, and visions for the future.

There are more than 200 distinct First Nations in BC, each with unique stories, traditions, and relationships to their territories. Indigenous-led tourism offers visitors the opportunity to connect meaningfully with place through cultural centres, culinary experiences, art, storytelling, performances, and land-based activities and experiences shaped by generations of knowledge and stewardship.

Whether you are visiting British Columbia for FIFA World Cup 26™, planning a summer adventure, or looking for events to celebrate National Indigenous History Month and Peoples Day, I encourage you to go beyond the match and experience Authentic Indigenous and Indigenous Owned businesses in BC.

This year, we are also celebrating the important role of athletes and sport in Indigenous communities. Sport has always been a source of strength, identity, wellness, and connection for Indigenous Peoples. From traditional games to international competition, athletes have carried their communities’ stories with pride and demonstrated the power of perseverance, discipline, and belonging.

Sport also has an important role to play in reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 87 recognizes the need to increase awareness of Indigenous athletes, celebrate their achievements, and strengthen understanding of Indigenous histories and experiences through sport.

As FIFA World Cup 26™ arrives in Vancouver, we have an opportunity to demonstrate what meaningful inclusion and partnership can look like.

Together with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Indigenous Tourism BC has worked to create opportunities for visitors and residents to experience Indigenous welcome and storytelling on an international stage. A shared welcome film, created on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of these host Nations, reflects a message that is deeply rooted in respect, connection, and the enduring relationships the host Nations have with these lands and waters.

Bringing together a shared message of welcome for an event as significant as the FIFA World Cup was both a great responsibility and a tremendous honour. It reflects the strength of collaboration when Indigenous voices are included from the beginning and when opportunities are created in ways that uphold Indigenous values.

We invite you to join us for Indigenous events at the Home Pitch at FIFA Fan Festival™ at the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in Hastings Park, Vancouver. Visitors can stop by and celebrate Indigenous athletes, National Indigenous History Month, and National Indigenous Peoples Day through Indigenous-led cultural sharing, storytelling, performances, and experiences.

On National Indigenous Peoples Day, programming will include stories shared by community Elders, Indigenous cultural experiences, and performances from artists. It will be a meaningful opportunity to gather, celebrate, and learn together.

As we look ahead, I hope we continue to recognize Indigenous tourism not simply as a part of British Columbia’s tourism offering, but as an opportunity to enrich the entire visitor experience. Indigenous tourism strengthens destinations, creates economic opportunities for communities, and invites all people to develop a deeper relationship with the places they visit.

The future of tourism in British Columbia is one built on respect, partnership, and shared experiences. When Indigenous communities succeed, tourism succeeds, and everyone benefits.

This National Indigenous Peoples Day, I invite you to celebrate Indigenous BC, seek out Indigenous-led experiences, and join us in building a future where culture, connection, and reconciliation are at the heart of tourism.

We look forward to welcoming you, learning together, and continuing this important journey.

Brenda Baptiste

Board Chair, ITBC