Wikwemikong Tourism wins award of excellence
The community competed against nine hundred other Indigenous Tourism businesses
Wikwemikong Tourism has been recognized with the first Indigenous Tourism Award of Excellence in the province.
Director Luke Wassegijig says it competed against nine hundred other Indigenous Tourism Businesses.
He says the award reflects the hard work his team has been doing to promote the territory on Manitoulin Island and Point Grondine in the Killarney region.
It is also being honoured for the work it has done designing and promoting cultural experiences to travellers, says Wassegijig.
Wassegijig says it has Anishinaabek cultural tours that are available to individuals, groups and school classes.
"So it really gives students a first hand look at, first, the Anishinaabe culture, because we do incorporate things like trapping. Like recently we had a school group we did some skinning and tanning of deer hide. They had an opportunity to taste, and touch and feel."
Wassegijig says the tours are also a way of achieving reconciliation through education.
"Wikwemikong having one of the first residential schools and they learn a little bit about the Jesuit history here, and then we also bring them on our unceded journey tour which really gives them the history of Manitoulin island and the history of the island and why it's so important here."
Wassegijig says the tourism industry is also growing the community's economy and creating jobs.
It is also helping preserve local traditional knowledge and passing it on to the younger generation.
The award was handed out by the Ontario Tourism Industry Association last weekend.