American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Collaborates With Destinations International In Bold New Agreement To Expand Indigenous Tourism Footprint Across The U.s. And Integrate Native Heritage Into The Global Travel Landscape

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), nan only nationalist statement exclusively dedicated to promoting taste practice tourism among Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities, announced a two-year strategical confederation pinch Destinations International, nan largest world rank relation representing destination trading organizations, normal and visitant bureaus (CVBs), and tourism authorities.

Promoting Cultural Tourism via Cooperation

The statement was formally signed during nan 2025 Annual Convention of Destinations International, held successful Chicago, Illinois. The statement signals a agreed committedness to co-create initiatives, create acquisition resources, and present value-added services aimed astatine strengthening some organizations’ missions. By aligning their efforts, AIANTA and Destinations International activity to uplift Indigenous voices and build capacity wrong Native communities to grow their beingness successful nan recreation and tourism industry.

Indigenous Tourism arsenic a Driver of Economic Impact

Tourism remains a stalwart of nan U.S. economy, pinch trickle-down benefits for astir different industries. Indigenous-owned tourism and hospitality enterprises are astatine nan bosom of this boom. According to a study of Indigenous tourism enterprises carried retired by AIANTA pinch nan support of SMS Research, Native communities’ enterprises make astir $11.6 cardinal each twelvemonth wrong U.S. tourism and hospitality industries. These figures show nan promising early of Indigenous tourism not only arsenic a taste plus but besides a Native Nations’ economical powerhouse.

Destinations International’s Global Influence

Destinations International brings important scope and resources to nan partnership. The statement brings together a web of complete 9,000 manufacture professionals from much than 750 destinations successful 23 countries, collectively managing a purchasing powerfulness weighted astatine $3.5 billion. Its extended world web is instrumental successful shaping destination strategies, recreation marketing, and world visitant engagement. This collaboration will let AIANTA to entree broader networks and utilize caller channels to heighten nan visibility and promotion of Indigenous tourism.

AIANTA’s Decades-Long Push for Tourism Equity Entering its 27th year, AIANTA has continually called for equitable practice and inclusion of Native communities successful nan wide tourism dialogue. The statement delivers captious method assistance, manufacture training, and capacity-building programs that alteration Native entrepreneurs and governments. These initiatives are aimed astatine building sustainable tourism models that are based connected Indigenous values, safeguard taste resources, and connection economical benefits for section communities.

AIANTA has besides led nationalist conversations connected tribal tourism policy, moving intimately pinch national partners to instrumentality cardinal authorities specified arsenic nan NATIVE Act, which promotes Native American tourism and enhances coordination crossed national agencies to support tribal tourism development.

Shared Vision for Broadening Indigenous Experiences

This recently formed confederation opens doors for Indigenous tourism providers to summation greater visibility done Destinations International’s outreach channels, conferences, and training programs. In return, AIANTA will supply its specialized knowledge and expertise to thief Destinations International’s members amended understand and incorporated Indigenous tourism experiences into their destination strategies.

Entrepreneurs, tourism specialists, and tribal officials tin find useful resources, trainings, and backing done nan charismatic website of AIANTA, www.aianta.org. Curious travelers seeking to study astir rich | Native traditions, histories, and experiences tin sojourn www/nativeamerica.travel, an immersive website that presents destinations from Indian Country.

Major Step Towards Inclusive Tourism

The strategical business betwixt AIANTA and Destinations International represents a awesome advancement successful fostering taste inclusion wrong nan recreation sector. By combining AIANTA’s grassroots engagement pinch Indigenous communities and Destinations International’s world tourism influence, nan 2 organizations are laying nan instauration for a much diverse, equitable, and culturally rich | tourism landscape.

This confederation not only raises nan level of Indigenous tourism but, much broadly, enhances nan recreation ecosystem done nan transportation of genuine Native experiences that are available, showcased, and sustainable done responsible economical development.