Tangible and intangible indicators of successful aboriginal tourism initiatives: A case study of two successful aboriginal tourism lodges in Northern Canada

•An international overview of Aboriginal tourism initiatives and Aboriginal entrepreneurship is provided.•Two Aboriginal ecolodges located in Northern Canada are compared.•Indicators of successes and evaluations of success are evaluated.•Success indicators should capture both tangible and intangible elements of Aboriginal tourism initiatives.•Lessons acquired from these case studies can be applied to other peripheral regions.

This article examines two successful Aboriginal-tourism initiatives in Northern Canada. First, we review the literature on successful tourism indicators; following this review, we provide a rationale for the development of our own indicators and their subsequent application to our case studies. The case studies include the Cree Village Eco Lodge in Northern Ontario and the Spirit Bear Lodge in British Columbia, Canada. Our framework focuses on both indicators for success and evaluations of success. The discussion and conclusion sections examine the value of developing success indicators that capture both tangible and intangible variables and standardizing case study descriptions. We also highlight how the lessons acquired from these case studies can be applied to Northern Canada specifically and peripheral regions generally.