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Market Development Cooperator Program
PROJECT PROFILE: American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA, 2016 award)
Cultural activities are a major draw for international visitors to tribal lands. image: AIANTA
Tourism's Economic Benefit to Indian Country
International travel and tourism accounts for over one tenth of all U.S. exports of goods and services and supports well over a million U.S. jobs. In Indian Country, the many self-governing Native American communities throughout the United States, tourism is a unique part of the international visitor experience.
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MDCP Award/AIANTA Match: $172,411/384,020
Markets Targeted: Italy, United Kingdom
U.S. Industry Promoted: Tourism
Period: 2016-2019
Key ITA Collaborators:
- Julie Heizer, Industry & Analysis, National Travel and Tourism Office
- Robert Queen, El Paso, Texas USEAC
- Donatello Osti, Commercial Service, Milan, Italy
- Chrystal Denys, Commercial Service, London, United Kingdom
Project Description:
- Train Indian firms in marketing.
- Launch joint web-based marketing/PR campaign to showcase destinations, attractions, landscapes, and tours.
Project Milestone Report (Part B)
Projected Exports Generated by 2019: $6,000,000
Exports Generated by 2019.09.30: $25,294,500
Exports Per Dollar of Award: $549 ($25,294,500/$46,050 of award spent)
Read the MDCP Project Application
Tourism is an economic driver, but Indian Country is just beginning to benefit from tourism as an export. It is estimated that 5% or 1,652,000 of the 34 million overseas visitors to the United States in 2015 visited Indian Country. Indian Country has seen its visitors grow from 693,000 international visitors in 2007 to the record total of 1,652,000 in 2014.
The National Travel and Tourism Office estimates that overseas travelers who visit Indian Country stay 12 nights longer in the U.S. than the average traveler, visit more states and more cities, take more domestic flights, rent more cars, visit more national parks and monuments, visit more small towns and rural areas and visit more historical areas, cultural and heritage sites, art galleries and museums.
Tourism Exports and Target Markets
The United Kingdom is the #3 overseas spending source market for the United States--2015 figures. The UK economy is the fastest growing in the developed world.
Like the British, Italians also have a distinct interest in visiting Indian Country with a peak 8.5% interest rate by their 936,000 visitors. Italians spend an average of $4,315 when on travel. Italian arrivals have grown year on year and are projected to increase between 4%-5% in 2016.
American Indian communities saw a 10% increase in international visitors from 2013 to 2014, from 1,506,000 to 1,652,000. But, while Indian Country has seen growth from international visitors, at the local level tribes still suffer from the need for funding infrastructure, capacity building and marketing. The MDCP partnership and assistance from ITA goes far in helping market Indian Country venues as destinations for international visitors.
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Working on behalf of all 567 federally recognized tribes and Native Hawaiians, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) works to advance Indian Country tourism across the United States. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, AIANTA provides technical assistance, training, and resources to tribes, and works to ensure that tribal tourism has a voice at the national level.
AIANTA contact: Camille Ferguson
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