Indigenous Tourism Association of PEI

The Client: Established in 2018, the Indigenous Tourism Association of PEI (ITAPEI) is a provincially-mandated tourism association supporting the growth of Indigenous tourism businesses and community enterprises in Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island).

The Challenge: In 2022, the organization hired ShanCo Studio to assist in creating a brand strategy and copy for its new website. From the outset, we recognized the importance of ensuring the strategy and copy were informed by and accurately reflected the Indigenous community’s stories, culture, and character. Further, given the tourism mandate, it was imperative that the messaging resonated with cultural tourists while respecting the Island’s thriving and evolving Indigenous community.

The Solution: We were starting fresh with the Indigenous PEI brand and website messaging. It was essential, however, that the brand and copy reflected the longstanding and rich culture of the Mi’kmaq. I engaged in in-depth interviews with key members of the Indigenous community. The brand strategy and messaging reflected their words, stories and cultural lens. As with all my branding projects, I ensured that the interviewees reviewed and approved the Brand Guide before crafting the website copy. The draft copy was reviewed by two of the interviewees (they were also ITAPEI Board members) and finalized coy was approved by the Board members and ITAPEI staff