4 minute read
René Boudreau
By Feleshia Chandler | Photo by Elise & Nicolas Photography
Halifax-born entrepreneur and travel enthusiast René Boudreau is on a mission to challenge global misconceptions about the lack of Black communities in the Maritimes. She is doing it one event at a time via her travel community and her business, Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia. “Through my travels, oftentimes people would ask me where I’m from,” she said, “And when they learn I’m from Nova Scotia, they’re shocked.” Boudreau has been around the world — from Atlanta, GA to the Turks and Caicos. On her journeys, she noticed a strange recurrence. No matter where she went, it seemed to be a regular assumption that there were few, if any, Black people in Nova Scotia. “I got thinking, there’s obviously some gaps in our tourism industry — a lack of representation of the Black people who are here.” Boudreau says African Nova Scotians have been living in the province for more than four centuries and there is a rich and unique history of the culture here, of which many are unaware. She saw an opportunity to change that. At the same time, she could expose Black Nova Scotians to their own culture, attract other Black people from across the world to the province, as well as educate non-Black tourists and locals alike. “I was trying to create something that shows more representation and creates awareness.” Boudreau started Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia in 2019 having no experience in the travel industry. What she lacked in industry knowledge, she made up for with her determination to change how the world sees how the Black community lives in this province. “I wasn’t registered or anything at that point, but that’s when I made my first Instagram post,” Boudreau says. She has also taken on the ‘influencer’ role, curating social media posts for the organization. “I started right before the pandemic. Most people would say it’s not the best time to start a tourism business but, personally, I feel like it was the perfect timing, simply because I started at a time when I was able to focus more on the locals and people who might have never really explored the province at all.” Boudreau kicked off her business by hosting local tours around the city but has since collaborated with other local businesses and partners. “We partner with different organizations, businesses and tour operators to curate tours and experiences. I always make sure that I have Black history and Black culture at the centre of everything I do.” Since the business’ inception, Boudreau has offered numerous events, many of which have sold out. In 2020, Boudreau offered a Black history cycling tour by collaborating with I Bikes, a waterfront-based business that provides bike and equipment rentals for bike-related adventures. “That was one of the very first tours that I curated,” she said. On the tour, she was able to guide a group from Halifax’s waterfront to the site of the iconic, historic Black community of Africville, near the Bedford Basin. In 2021, Boudreau partnered with one of Canada’s largest sightseeing companies, AmbassatoursGray Line, to offer a boat tour that she dubbed the Black Excellence Boat Cruise. For this tour, she also collaborated with Change is Brewing, a BIPOC collective promoting diversity and inclusion in the craft beverage industry. On the tour, guests were able to experience sights, music and food inspired by Black excellence. The event included live music by Halifax’s Jah’Mila, the daughter of legendary roots reggae guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith, and a Bahamian street parade performance. The second annual Black Excellence Boat Cruise was held on August 6, 2022 aboard the Tall Ship Silva. Boudreau’s other accomplishments include hosting a wellness retreat in collaboration with Rajean Willis, a Halifax clinical social worker, successful businesswoman and social justice advocate. They’ve also collaborated on a sold-out wine tour for Black women. The tour was in conjunction with Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours, a business providing a variety of tours to Nova Scotia’s winery region. Boudreau says getting to this point has been a great journey, and finding the courage to make the leap into the tourism industry has been a major milestone for her. “Oftentimes, we have these great ideas, and we think they need to be perfect before we actually start. To start and believe in the vision was probably the biggest success for me personally.” Boudreau says she hopes to expand Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia and make it her fulltime job. “I would love to have my own bus to do my own tours. I would love to have my own office space. I would love to have my own Airbnb,” she says. “To be able to host people who are coming here, that’s one of my goals, as well as to eventually have a property.” Boudreau says she’s focusing on expanding her team and getting all the necessities in place to strengthen her business. “The biggest thing right now is building a team and having more consistent, sustainable partnerships.”
