Join the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) AIANTA and CEO Sherry Rupert on the latest episode of the Brand USA Talks Travel podcast to learn how AIANTA connects the 574 tribes across the nation with partners like Leave No Trace and the National Tour Association, meeting the growing interest in Indigenous tourism in a way that preserves mutual respect and authenticity. We also talk about how travelers can participate in Native American Heritage Month this November. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/egzbEJ2Z

This month, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and member Sun Tours were featured in a media story with NBC News (NBCU Academy, written by journalist Iris Kim. Titled, “Before It Was Glacier National Park, It Was Blackfeet Land. This Tour Company Fights to Tell That Story,” the story includes insight from Ed DeRosier of Sun Tours and its legacy as one of the few Native-owned tour companies in the national park system. The story features AIANTA and CEO Sherry Rupert, as she provides insight into how AIANTA provides training and resources for businesses like Sun Tours to get them from inception to marketing. “When tribes are empowered to manage the tourism that comes into park areas, they can control the numbers, keep sacred sites separate from visitation and protect the environment from overtourism,” Rupert said. Her mission is to bring more visitors to gateway tribal communities like East Glacier to develop local Native economies. “Supporting Native-owned businesses gives Indigenous people an opportunity to stay on their homelands,” she said. “When our children were sent to boarding schools by the federal government, much was lost. As we teach others about our culture, our younger generations are also learning to be proud of who they are.” 🔗 Full story here: https://lnkd.in/eJRr_HdE #IndigenousTourism #AIANTA

📣 AIANTA has been recognized as a winner on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Bright Ideas in Travel awards list for its partnership with the USDA Forest Service Community Navigator program. AIANTA’s inclusion on this list was independently selected by Condé Nast Traveler editors. Launched last week, The Bright Ideas in Travel list (first launched in 2022) recognizes the players, places, and projects that are approaching travel’s most pressing issues with thoughtfulness and zeal. In the third iteration of this franchise, Condé Nast Traveler editors selected trailblazers who have demonstrated a positive impact on the travel industry in 2024 or celebrated a significant milestone in their efforts to prove how travel can move our world forward. The publication's unique and pioneering approaches straddle the realms of sustainability, community, inclusion, accessibility, conservation, innovation, innovation, and wellness (a category they’ve added for the first time this year). 🔗 Full Story Here: https://bit.ly/3O5bcdc #BrightIdeasInTravel #IndigenousTourism #AIANTA

Honoring our Veterans this Veterans Day! On this Veterans Day, let us take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the service rendered by all veterans—especially those from our U.S. Indigenous communities. Thank you for your service! #VeteransDay #discovernativeamerica #IndigenousTourism

Continuing to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, learn more about Indigenous culture by checking out our Top 20 Book Recommendations for Visitors to Native America. Be sure to connect with us on the AIANTA social media channels all month long as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month! 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hyAIVQ #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

📣 Just in time for Native American Heritage Month, AIANTA and a variety of our partners were featured in a Condé Nast Traveler story written by Alaska Native Tlingit tribal member and award-winning writer Kate Nelson. Titled, “How to Be a Respectful Visitor on US Native Lands”, the story includes insight from Native American tourism experts on common mistakes non-Native visitors make—and how to be more mindful when you are arrive on tribal lands. 🔗 https://bit.ly/40tZ7FR #nativeamericanheritagemonth #indigenoustourism

Native News Online - President Biden Proclaims November as Native American Heritage Month President Joe Biden this week proclaimed November 2024 as Native American Heritage Month. In the presidential proclamation found in the article link below, the president said: "Indigenous peoples’ history in the United States is defined by strength, survival, and a deep commitment to and pride in their heritage, right to self-governance, and ways of life." 🔗 https://bit.ly/3C9R0UV

November is Native American Heritage Month! Native American Heritage Month encourages non-Native individuals to educate themselves about the history, culture, and current issues impacting Native Nations and communities. By seeking out authentic cultural experiences, literature, and other educational resources, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the culture and history of the 574 federally-recognized Tribes and Native Hawaiians in the U.S. This increased awareness can foster empathy, reduce stereotypes, and promote cultural sensitivity in interactions with members of Native Nations and communities. As individuals living in a diverse and inclusive society, it is our responsibility to advocate for social justice. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #IndigenousTourism #WeAreStillHere

Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino awarded Indigenous Destination of the Year at AIANTA's 2024 Excellence in Tourism Industry Awards Indigenous Destination of the Year - Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. Former Mescalero Apache Tribal Chairman Wendell Chino had a vision to develop a ski resort on the Mescalero Apache Tribal lands in the late 1950s. Chairman Chino was successful in his vision and "Apache Ski Resort" was developed in 1961. As a result, Inn of The Mountain Gods Resort and Casino was built in 2005 to help support the Mecca ecotourism and authentic cultural destination experience on the Mescalero Apache homelands. Zip lines travel to the property and are next to a beautiful lake that offers kayaking, swimming, hiking and fishing. The resort and casino are located next to the horse stables, a hunting lodge that supports some of the finest sustainable big game hunting in the world, RV park, cultural museum, and a world-renowned golf course. The destination hosts local authentic art, Indigenous storytelling and is filled with interpretive art, architecture, sculptures, and interpretive signs, making it a beautiful representation of the Mescalero Apache People. Congratulations to Inn of the Mountain Gods!

Cheryl Trask of Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism awarded Industry Professional of the Year at AIANTA's 2024 Excellence in Tourism Industry Awards The Industry Professional of the Year Award was given to Cheryl Trask, Senior Manager of Cultural Retail and Sales for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. As senior manager of cultural retail and sales for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism, Cheryl has been a leader in Indian Country Tourism for more than 20 years. Her tourism career began in the resort industry where she helped build a successful sales program for a premier lake resort in Oklahoma before returning to her roots, her home and her tribe, Cherokee Nation. She joined Cherokee Nation 20 years ago as the tribe built its first casino resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma. In her role of sales manager, Cheryl helped introduce the motor coach and group sales program, which led to hundreds of thousands of guests experiencing Cherokee Nation’s culture infused casino, resort amenities and conference space. Eventually, her passion for Cherokee traditions and values transitioned her away from the casino resort and into a role with Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism where she helped launch a cultural guided tour program. Her mastery of customer service training was instrumental in the development of Cherokee Nation’s tribal gift shops and its first wholly owned museum. Cherokee Nation now boasts seven museum sites each with their own unique chapter in the tribe’s history. In her two-decade tenure with Cherokee Nation, Cheryl has built programs and initiated the operation of more than 10 cultural retail and museum venues. Congratulations to Cheryl!