The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and Destinations International have sealed a two-year strategic agreement aimed at elevating Indigenous Tourism across the United States. Signed at Destinations International's 2025 Annual Convention in Chicago on July 10, the pact connects the national voice for Native Nations in tourism with the world's largest network of destination organizations. The partners will jointly roll out marketing campaigns, training programs, and business tools through 2027.
Key Points
- Two-year MOU links AIANTA with Destinations International's 750 member bureaus.
- Why it matters: boosts marketing access for $11.6 billion Indigenous Tourism sector.
- Deliverables include workshops, co-op ads, and staff exchanges launching October 2025.
- Goal: raise Native supplier visibility 10 percent before Semiquincentennial 2026.
- Independent reviews safeguard equity milestones and data transparency.
Snapshot
AIANTA, a 26-year-old nonprofit governed by an all-Native board, advocates for more than 570 federally recognized tribes and their hospitality enterprises across the United States. Destinations International, headquartered in Washington, D.C., represents over 9,000 destination-marketing professionals at 750 convention and visitor bureaus in 23 countries, with collective annual spending power topping $3.5 billion. Under the new memorandum of understanding, the two organizations will co-brand educational workshops, exchange research on Travel Trends, and promote Native-owned visitor experiences through Destinations International's global sales channels. The immediate goal is to increase market visibility for Native destinations ahead of the 2026 American Semiquincentennial, when foreign arrivals are expected to surge.
Background
Indigenous entrepreneurs have long lacked access to mainstream destination-marketing budgets, partly because tribal enterprises do not collect the hotel-occupancy taxes that fund most city and state tourism offices. Since 1999, AIANTA has worked to narrow that gap through federal advocacy, training, and the NativeAmerica.travel consumer platform. In 2018, the association helped secure Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act funding, unlocking dedicated federal grants for tribal tourism projects. Destinations International has simultaneously pushed its members to adopt equity and sustainability standards. The new partnership blends those missions: AIANTA brings cultural authenticity and community networks, while Destinations International supplies marketing muscle and data insights. Together, they aim to build traveler understanding, generate revenue on tribal lands, and set a respectful engagement model others can adopt.
Latest Developments
The memorandum, effective through July 2027, outlines a detailed workplan that starts this autumn and scales over 24 months. It was signed by AIANTA CEO Sherry L. Rupert and Destinations International CEO Don Welsh before 1,500 delegates in Chicago, where both leaders emphasized turning land acknowledgments into tangible economic opportunity.
Joint Programming
- Tribal Readiness Workshops - a traveling roadshow will visit eight gateway cities beginning in October 2025, teaching product packaging, digital distribution, and cultural protocols.
- Co-Op Marketing Slots - AIANTA members gain discounted placements in Destinations International's USA Travel Outlook report and European sales missions.
- Staff Exchanges - up to ten Indigenous professionals will shadow CVB counterparts each year to master pricing, visitor services, and bid preparation.
Market Potential
AIANTA's latest Economic Impact study shows American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian hospitality firms generate $11.6 billion in annual sales, yet fewer than 15 percent appear in mainstream DMO channels. Destinations International's network controls more than $3.5 billion in collective marketing and meetings budgets, making even modest inclusion gains transformative. Early targets call for a 10 percent rise in Native supplier listings on member-bureau websites by the end of 2026.
Next Steps
A steering committee co-chaired by Rupert and Destinations International board member Tania Armenta will publish quarterly scorecards starting January 2026. The partners will add a tribal sensitivity module to Destinations International's Certified Destination Management Executive curriculum ahead of IPW 2026. Either party can request an independent review if milestones slip by 25 percent, and outside academics will analyze metrics such as traveler spend, job creation, and shoulder-season growth. AIANTA will also badge NativeAmerica.travel listings that meet Global Sustainable Tourism Council cultural-heritage criteria, helping travelers identify community-approved experiences.
Analysis
For travelers, the pact promises easier discovery of Indigenous-led tours-from Navajo stargazing in Monument Valley to Coast Salish kayaking on Puget Sound-through CVB trip-planners they already trust. Travel advisors stand to benefit from new familiarization tours that spotlight tribal guides and artisans. Heritage Travel has ranked among the top visitor motivators since 2022, and the approaching Semiquincentennial is heightening interest in America's first peoples. Routing visitors through tribal parks distributes revenue to communities that have long stewarded iconic landscapes without equal economic return. Crucially, the partnership centers community consent: modules on intellectual-property and protocol aim to prevent culture from becoming commodity. If successful, the AIANTA Destinations International partnership could serve as a global blueprint for inclusive destination marketing.
Final Thoughts
Native destinations are firmly on travelers' radar, yet visibility alone is not enough. This agreement adds training, marketing muscle, and shared data to turn curiosity into responsible visitation and measurable community benefit. Travelers and advisors can accelerate progress by choosing Indigenous-owned experiences and offering feedback. With transparent reporting and community oversight, the alliance could redefine how destination networks engage sovereign nations, ensuring growth honors culture, land, and story. All eyes are now on the AIANTA Destinations International partnership.