Skift.com, a global travel industry news outlet and informational platform, recently featured a story focusing on the boom that Indian Country has seen in international visitation.

In the story, “Native American Destinations See Surge in Overseas Visitors,” author Sarah Enelow highlights recent data collected by the Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office and shared by AIANTA to show the increasing tourism to Indian Country in recent years.

The story mentions the success of our Go International training seminar held last month, which we hope to continue to hold in coming years:

“Data from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) show that the number of international visitors to Native American destinations nearly tripled between 2007 and 2015, from 693,000 to 1,958,000.

The organization’s goal is to boost that number above 2.3 million by 2020.

AIANTA also reports that in 2015, international visitors to Indian Country supported over 41,000 jobs in the U.S. — by 2020 the organization hopes to see that figure exceed 48,000.

A new training program called Go International launched last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a successful pilot program. Go International allows AIANTA to meet with Native American tourism professionals and offer educational support for growing their international audience.

The training program over the course of two days addressed topics including data tracking; international product distribution; working with the media; using NativeAmerica.travel as a marketing tool, and how to price, package, and present product.

“The cultural tourism development [session] was especially successful,” said Rachel Cromer Howard, a spokesperson for AIANTA. This session covered how tribes can “keep certain traditions and pieces of their culture private while still being able to offer these tours and educate people.”

See the whole story at Skift.com.

AIANTA is attending Showcase USA-Italy and ITB Berlin in March, and we are excited to jump into the UK market in November with attendance at the World Travel Market in London. If you are interested in joining AIANTA in the international marketplace, contact AIANTA at 505-724-3592 and talk to us about the many opportunities we offer!