American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association

Technical assistance and training -- aianta works with the tourism industry, businesses, educational institutions, tribal partners, non- profits, native organizations and state and federal partners to identify and deliver responsive and relevant educational support. Our tailored and partnership-driven technical assistance and training programs are the key to our support of the development, growth and enhancement of indigenous tourism products. Our programming includes the american indigenous tourism conference (aitc); international market readiness training - go international; cultural heritage tourism and sustainable tourism certificate programs; outreach, resources, assessment tools and breaking news; partner-based webinar instruction; internship program and scholarship program. Aianta also provides industry training through participation in their webinars and conferences. These programs provide a critical access point for expanding the indigenous tourism knowledge base and expertise in u.s. Native nations and communities.

Tribal relations and outreach -- the tribal relations and outreach program conducts direct outreach to tribes and native-owned businesses to identify capacity and training needs and to increase the content on aianta's consumer website, nativeamerica.travel (consumer-facing destination website dedicated to indigenous tourism) and aianta's proprietary database. The tribal relations and outreach program introduces aianta resources and programs to tribes, native-owned tourism businesses and partners, especially in the areas of planning and funding for cultural tourism development. During interviews, the team gathers information about indigenous tourism attractions and encourages future tourism development. The program cultivates strategic partnerships with an emphasis on establishing/maintaining relationships with indigenous travel, tourism and recreation staff; tourism industry leaders; federal, state and local government agencies; educational institutions; museum professionals; historic preservation officers; artists and entrepreneurs. The nativeamerica.travel website provides inspiration and information to travel trade professionals and individual travelers to assist them in locating authentic cultural heritage and indigenous tourism destinations to explore within native nations and communities. Aianta invites each federally recognized tribe to claim and populate their own page, providing a profile of the history, culture and traditions they wish to share. The site includes a blog to showcase trends or groups of similar destinations. Aianta has increased outreach to native nations and communities to encourage their participation and visitor exploration of indigenous attractions, destinations and experiences. Nativeamerica.travel is evolving into a powerful tool for native nations and communities to promote indigenous tourism regionally, nationally and internationally. Aianta is engaging and training indigenous tourism leaders to use this tool to perpetuate and promote their cultural heritage and economic sustainability.

Visitor outreach -- aianta plays a critical role in supporting the national travel and tourism strategy to bring more visitors to the united states, especially in our participation at domestic and international trade shows to promote tourism in native nations and communities. Aianta's visitor outreach program is critical to fulfilling our mission and promise to american indian tribes and native communities. Unique to aianta, we work with native nations and communities throughout the process of preparing for and entering the tourism marketplace. Currently, aianta promotes indigenous destinations to visitor markets at international and domestic travel tradeshows, including ipw (held in rotating u.s. Destinations) and go west. Internationally, aianta attends brand usa's travel week (london, uk). Aianta also creates industry tools like the top 10 indigenous experiences and 15 cultural protocols to know before you visit native homelands in the u.s. Marketing and public relations -- aianta provides outreach and marketing support to expand the impact of indigenous tourism development. In the past year, aianta reached potential travelers domestically and in nearly 50 countries via social media, aianta.org and nativeamerica.travel. Aianta earns millions of media impressions annually and reaches thousands of individuals through e-mail news blasts, weekly and monthly newsletters, and speaking engagements. Aianta's reach is extended through a targeted media relations campaign, with press releases distributed to leading indigenous publications, including native news online, native america calling, cherokee one feather, indianz.com and high country news, to name a few. Additionally, aianta targets leading travel trade (travel agent and tour operator) publications, such as travel weekly, travelage west, travelpulse, wanderlust and skift to name a few. Aianta also communicates with leading consumer travel writers, both freelance and editorial staff to further generate stories for indigenous tourism. Aianta also invites media and the travel trade out to experience indigenous destinations, attractions and events on annual curated fam (familiarization) tours. Community navigator program -- as part of our ongoing mission to support native nations, aianta has launched a program aimed at connecting indigenous communities across the u.s.-particularly those at high risk of wildfires and climate impacts-with federal grant opportunities. This initiative is designed to expand access to the tools and resources necessary to address climate impacts, promote healthy forests and lands, and strengthen the economic foundations of native communities through sustainable recreation and cultural tourism. Through a newly established mentorship program, aianta guides native nations in identifying grant eligibility, navigating application processes, and building the capacity needed for long-term success. By offering workshops and trainings focused on climate resilience and organizational development, the program addresses the persistent barriers many indigenous communities face in accessing federal funding and infrastructure investments. This project reflects aianta's commitment to bridging those gaps while reinforcing tribal sovereignty and empowering native nations to grow resilient, culturally aligned tourism economies rooted in the stewardship of healthy lands and forests.