Indigenous Tourism Specialist Hired for Northern BC

Under a renewed Memorandum of Understanding, Northern British Columbia Tourism Association (NBCTA) and Indigenous Tourism British Columbia (ITBC) are delighted to announce the hiring of a new Regional Indigenous Tourism Specialist dedicated to northern British Columbia. After an extensive search, Jolene Sampare was hired for the role.

Jolene Sampare HIway’ Ksim Gisk’aast niiy’ ii wilps Wisin Xblitw wil witgwiy ii Laxgalts’ap will jogay’. Jolene Sampare is Killerwhale from the house of Wisin Xbiltkw and resides in the Nisga’a community of Laxgalts’ap.

Jolene has worked with the Hli Goothl Wilp Adokshl Nisga’a – Nisga’a Museum since it opened in 2011. She began with the organization as the Gift Shop Coordinator and worked her way to her most recent position of Museum Coordinator.

In the spring of 2017 Jolene completed the lead role on her first exhibition at the Nisga’a Museum, which included a community engagement project resulting in over 1,200 photos and 800 individual entries dedicated to the exhibition.

She is passionate about Indigenous issues, repatriation and furthering opportunities for Indigenous leaders. Jolene completed her Office Administration Diploma through Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and more recently graduated from the Cultural Resource Management Program at the University of Victoria.

“Indigenous tourism experiences are a vital part of the northern BC tourism industry and being able to provide resources to support and develop indigenous tourism products is an essential part of enhancing the visitor economy across the region says Clint Fraser, CEO of Northern British Columbia Tourism Association. “We welcome Jolene to the team and look forward to the experience she brings to this role.”

“Indigenous Tourism BC understands the diversity and unique opportunities in the growing Indigenous tourism industry. With a dedicated Regional Indigenous Tourism Specialist providing responsive region-specific support, our vision is to grow Indigenous tourism experiences and strengthen the Indigenous tourism economy.” says Brenda Baptiste, Chair of Indigenous Tourism BC. “Congratulations to Jolene Sampare. We look forward to working with you and the Northern BC Tourism Association to support Indigenous tourism in the northern Indigenous communities.” 

The focus of Jolene’s work is to engage Indigenous individuals, businesses and communities in formal tourism development planning, and link them with programs and opportunities. A range of programs, from training and capacity, to experience development and standards, to marketing are available through Indigenous Tourism BC, NBCTA and Destination British Columbia. Jolene will be the contact and conduit for interested Indigenous people, and will have a role in collecting stories and experiences to be promoted to visitors to Northern BC.

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About Northern British Columbia Tourism: Northern BC Tourism is the Regional Destination Management Organization which promotes the northern British Columbia region through tourism development, media relations and advertising activities. NBCTA is one of the five official tourism regions of BC, and as a non-profit association, is governed by a board of directors.

About Indigenous Tourism British Columbia: Indigenous Tourism BC is a non-profit, Stakeholder-based organization that is committed to growing and promoting a sustainable, culturally rich Indigenous tourism industry. Through training, information resources, networking opportunities and co-operative marketing programs, Indigenous Tourism BC is a one-stop resource for Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities in BC who are operating or looking to start a tourism business. We work closely with tourism, business, education and government organizations to help BC‘s Indigenous tourism businesses offer quality experiences and actively promote these experiences to visitors and local residents.