New displays at Montreal airport aim to promote Indigenous tourism in Quebec

At the departures level of Montreal’s Trudeau airport, there are new images on display that aim to promote tourism among Quebec’s Indigenous nations.

In a partnership between the Aéroports de Montréal and Indigenous Tourism Quebec, the airport will promote the cultures and tourism offerings of the province’s 11 Indigenous nations at strategic locations throughout the terminal.

On Monday, around 20 posters were set up in the terminal. They will be on display until the end of October.

Future installations will include authentic Indigenous tourism experiences, art and cultural objects.

Officials say the goal is twofold: for staff at the airport to have a better understanding of Indigenous and First Nations history and to help educate passengers and tourists about what these communities have to offer.

“This is just the beginning,” said Martin Massé, Aéroports de Montréal vice-president of public affairs. “We’ll have other exhibitions that are both cultural and artistic. We’re basically building a bridge between the non-Indigenous communities and the 11 Indigenous communities in Quebec.”

Indigenous Tourism Quebec says the partnership is important in that it gives recognition to the communities and also helps educate the general public.

“We see this as so important because it’s educating,” said Kimberly Cross, who is on the board of directors with Indigenous Tourism Quebec. “It’s getting the word out there that we’re here. A lot of people don’t know we exist. A lot of people think that they can’t come visit us — that our communities are closed — or have fears or stigmas associated with that. So this is showing that it’s OK, this is who we are. This is a first step.”

The partnership between Aéroports de Montréal and Indigenous Tourism Quebec is for three years, but the airport says there is a strong chance that it will be extended.