Welcome to the American Indian Tourism Conference
Rising Together for the Journey Ahead
Now entering its 23rd year, the Annual American Indian Tourism Conference (AITC) is the only national conference dedicated to growing tourism in America’s indigenous communities.
23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference
October 25-28, 2021
We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort
10438 N Fort McDowell Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85264
Fort McDowell (Scottsdale), Arizona
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Every year the conference attracts more than 300 attendees, who attend for the networking opportunities, the high-level keynote sessions and the informative breakout sessions led by some of the leading hospitality industry experts. At our first-ever virtual conference we had 800 registrants.
Why Now is the Time to Reimagine, Re-emerge and Reunite
Research from the U.S. Travel Association has found attending professional meetings and events has NOT been shown to be a major driver of COVID-19 case counts largely due to the fact that in-person events (exhibitors and attendees) have higher vaccination rates (~80%) than the overall population.
Learn more at Let’s Meet There and view AIANTA’s COVID-19 Mitigation Policy.
AITC Schedule at a Glance
Sunday, October 24
Monday, October 25
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Mobile Workshops
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Business of Art Workshop
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Opening Reception
Tuesday, October 26
7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies/Regalia Day
10:30 a.m. – noon
Break Out Sessions “1”
12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon & General Session
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
AIANTA Town Hall / Information Gathering Session
3:45 – 5 p.m.
AIANTA Regional Meetings
Wednesday, October 27
Exhibit Hall Open
7 – 8:30 a.m.
Networking Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
General Session
10:30 a.m. – noon
Break Out Sessions “2”
noon – 1:45 p.m.
Luncheon & General Session
2 – 3:15 p.m.
Break Out Sessions “3”
3:45 – 5 p.m.
Break Out Sessions “4”
Thursday, October 28
Exhibit Hall Open
7:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Networking Continental Breakfast
8:45 – 10:15 a.m.
Break Out Sessions “5”
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Break Out Sessions “6”
12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Luncheon & General Session
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Break Out Sessions “7”
4 – 5 p.m.
The Heart Speaks (Closing Session)
6 – 7 p.m.
No Host Happy Hour
7 – 10 p.m.
Excellence in Tourism Industry Award
AITC Special Events
News & Notes From AITC
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association and Bureau of Land Management National Scenic and Historic Trails Program Unveil California National Historic Trail Poster at Nevada Native Art Recognition Event
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association and Bureau of Land Management National Scenic and Historic Trails Program Unveil California National Historic Trail Poster at Nevada Native Art Recognition Event Great Basin Desert Artist Cassandra Garback is...
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Selects Awardees for Annual Excellence in Tourism Awards
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Selects Awardees for Annual Excellence in Tourism Awards Choctaw Cultural Center, Paragon Casino Resort, Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, and Cheryl Trask of Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism are honored...
The Three Leading Global Indigenous Tourism Organizations Formally Launch Destination Original Indigenous Tourism
The Three Leading Global Indigenous Tourism Organizations Formally Launch Destination Original Indigenous Tourism American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and New Zealand Māori Tourism unite to formalize new...
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Celebrates 26 Years as the Leader in Cultural Heritage Tourism and Formalizes New Global Indigenous Tourism Partnership at 26th Annual Event
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Celebrates 26 Years as the Leader in Cultural Heritage Tourism and Formalizes New Global Indigenous Tourism Partnership at 26th Annual EventAnnual American Indigenous Tourism Conference Kicks Off on Tribal...
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Partners with the National Tour Association to Amplify Indigenous Destinations in the U.S.
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Partners with the National Tour Association to Amplify Indigenous Destinations in the U.S. Historic new partnership will help Indigenous destinations in the U.S. build awareness across NTA’s community of travel...
Donate to the AITC Silent Auction
The AITC Silent Auction raises funding for AIANTA’s Hospitality and Tourism Scholarship Program benefiting Native students pursuing degrees in Tourism and other hospitality-related fields.
Sponsor AITC
Extend your visibility by sponsoring AITC, the only national conference dedicated to travel and tourism in Indian Country. A conference sponsorship will provide you with increased exposure to a diverse group of tribal tourism professionals, while also helping AIANTA augment its conference training programing.
Exhibitors & Artisans
Exhibitor and artisan tables at AITC provide direct access to the 350 tribal tourism and hospitality industry professionals who attend this annual gathering.
About the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort
The 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference will take place at the all-new We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, which recently unveiled a dazzling renovation. Guests of the hotel, which has received AAA Four Diamond status every year since its opening, can enjoy excellent dining options from an all-star lineup of chefs that have served guests at some of the leading luxury resorts around the world.
The new 166,341 square-foot casino replaces the original McDowell Casino—Arizona’s first casino—which opened as a bingo hall in 1984. Native American design elements—earth, water, fire and basket weaving, all important to the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation—are incorporated throughout the new casino.
AITC attendees are encouraged to stay an extra day before or after the conference to enjoy the resort’s two outdoor pools, a Yavapai-inspired spa treatment at Amethyst Spa & Boutique, championship golfing at the resort’s two highly acclaimed courses and/or a menu of cultural and outdoor activities from Fort McDowell Adventures.
The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is an 889-member Native American tribe that calls Central Arizona’s upper Sonoran Desert home. Located to the northeast of Phoenix within Maricopa County, Arizona, the 40-square mile reservation is a small part of the ancestral territory of the once nomadic Yavapai people, who hunted and gathered food in a vast area of Arizona’s desert lowlands and mountainous Mogollon Rim country.
AITC 2021 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor
Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Caesars Entertainment
Arizona Office of Tourism
Acoma Business Enterprises
Bronze Sponsors
Choctaw Country
America 250
Paragon Casino Resort
Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino & Resort
Visit Cherokee Nation
Tribal Team Sponsors
Discover Salt River
Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Emerging Leader Sponsor
Arizona American Indian Tourism Association
Port Madison Enterprises
