Indigenous tourism feels the pinch from decline in US visitors and funding cuts

By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Dean Werk was supposed to be gearing up for a busy summer on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Instead, the Métis owner of Great River Fishing Adventures is watching his calendar empty out as American clients, once the lifeblood of his business, cancel trips one after another. Earlier this year, Werk’s company — known for helping clients catch and release some of the biggest sturgeon on the river — lost a US group worth $85,000. “We worked for two years to put this package together for them. And that booking got cancelled,” Werk said. Soon after, a $65,000 booking was also lost. Werk is concerned this is just the beginning and the sector could face a situation similar to…

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