The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada Thanks Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard, Transitioning Vice President

November 5, 2024

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) would like to thank Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard, ITAC’s departing Vice President, for his exceptional contributions, leadership and service to the association’s team and membership.

Desnoyers-Picard is transitioning to Destination Original Indigenous Tourism (DO-IT) to champion authentic Indigenous tourism worldwide. In this new role, he will continue advancing Indigenous tourism with solid support from ITAC as DO-IT works to support a sustainable, thriving Indigenous tourism economy, sharing authentic, memorable, and enriching experiences. Partnerships with organizations such as ITAC, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and New Zealand Māori Tourism are already bringing in critical funding, helping DO-IT to expand its reach and impact.

In his first role at ITAC, Desnoyers-Picard had held the position of the Chief Marketing Officer for ITAC where he helped launch The Original Original marketing campaign and led advocacy support to secure government and partner funding for the Indigenous tourism industry at large. The bi-lingual leader has been with ITAC for seven years, the last three spent in the Vice President role.

“ITAC is incredibly proud of Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard and all he has accomplished with us. His move to Destination Original Indigenous Tourism is a natural next step, enabling him to help drive Indigenous tourism growth on a global scale,” said Keith Henry, ITAC President and CEO. “Sébastien’s leadership and dedication to supporting the Indigenous tourism industry has left a lasting impact on ITAC.  We look forward to seeing The Original Original Accreditation Program grow internationally and bring even greater recognition and economic opportunity to Indigenous tourism.”

An exceptional leader of Indigenous tourism, Desnoyers-Picard brought with him more than 15 years in tourism, media relations, communications and international marketing experience where he’s known for creating important alliances with various financial partners in order to create support and sales conversion programs for the industries he represented, always aiming for sound management of human and financial resources.

Desnoyers-Picard is a brilliant example of an industry leader. On behalf of ITAC’s Board of Directors, President and CEO, ITAC’s team and the entire Indigenous tourism industry, we thank Desnoyers-Picard for his excellent leadership and outstanding contributions to the Indigenous tourism sector in Canada.

Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard will remain with ITAC until March 31st, 2025, and support a smooth transition to the new Vice President.

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