Adventures with an Arctic Social Enterprise

It was at the start of her 3^rd year in the Hospitality & Tourism Management program at Ryerson when Julia Pitcher’s career direction was changed forever. Julia took a course titled Destination Marketing and Management, which was being taught by her professor and manager-to-be Dr. Sonya Graci. “It was the first time a professor had started talking about…what the tourism industry is doing wrong”, says Pitcher of the experience she had being in Dr. Graci’s classroom. With this new perspective, Julia found an interest in the potential for tourism to leave a positive impact on the places people visit.

Julia would soon go on to work under Dr. Graci at HTMResearch with numerous responsibilities including organizing the speaker series and coordinating research grant applications, which she credits as being her first window into the Indigenous tourism sector. One benefit of working with so many professors for Julia was the opportunity to build her network. “Sonya helped open the door of communication to many organizations” Pitcher explains of her ability to secure her dream internship with the Planeterra Foundation.

However, the best news for Julia was yet to come as she would be directly offered a job with Kylik Kisoun Taylor, founder of Tundra North Tours (external link, opens in new window) , upon Dr. Graci’s recommendation at the end of 2020. A few months later, Julia moved to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories to work on site, sharing a cabin with a team of sled dog puppies (overwhelmingly adorable roommates). It’s a dream come true that, as Julia puts it, was initially communicated to her via text seemingly out of nowhere. 

Julia had met with Taylor in person before as she visited the Arctic for an experiential learning course and organized a World Tourism Day event with him as a keynote speaker the semester prior. Now as his Business Manager, Pitcher develops projects such as a new sawmill and Arctic permaculture programs, coordinates funding applications, conducts feasibility studies, and works on building partnerships. It’s a role that she sees many commonalities in with her previous work at HTMResearch. With such a range of responsibilities and no handbook to necessarily refer back to, Julia has learned how to figure things out and find solutions independently, a mindset that she was initially empowered to have when working at the Institute. A can-do attitude as well as professional communication skills developed during her time at Ryerson is what set Julia up for success and kickstarted her personal brand into what it is today.

When asked what advice she would give to students interested in working in the Indigenous tourism sector, Julia emphasized the importance of educating yourself about different Indigenous cultures and understanding that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. She also suggested reflecting on the ‘why’ when considering entering the sector. For Julia, this motivation stemmed from the alignment of the values of Indigenous businesses with her personal business values. She’s a big believer in the social enterprise: companies that positively impact the community just as much as they are profitable. Indigenous tourism organizations create cultural understanding, celebrate differences, and economically benefit the people surrounding it, which Pitcher describes as the “intersection of everything [she loves] about tourism”.

As Julia continues her work in the Arctic she’ll be joined by more HTMRyerson grads working remotely from home, representing a trend of Indigenous tourism affiliation led by Dr. Graci’s current research focus. For Julia, her dream of working in this field is just getting started and will surely become even more adventuresome down the line when visitors are able to travel to the Arctic and experience all it has to offer once again.

To keep up-to-date with Julia's off-grid life in the Arctic, follow her on Instagram @northernnewbie (external link, opens in new window)