“Native America, the Beautiful!” From Heritage to Global Horizons: Indigenous Tourism’s Breakthrough into Center Stage
Albuquerque, United States, December 15, 2025 / TRAVELINDEX / As the U.S. tourism industry seeks new growth drivers, Indigenous tourism is entering a new and more confident chapter, gaining international attention. The 27th American Indigenous Tourism Association (“the Association” hereafter) annual conference, a flagship event for Native nations, gathered over 300 attendees.
What emerged was clear: Indigenous tourism is no longer positioned at the periphery of U.S. tourism development. It is advancing toward the center—through national leadership, structured product development, next-generation talent preparation, and, importantly, through international collaboration with Canada, New Zealand, and beyond.
The Association: A National Leader on the Global Stage
The Association is a founding partner of Destination Original Indigenous Tourism (DO-IT), a pioneering alliance between the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Together, these three countries represent 43% of global Indigenous tourism revenue, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) report Supporting Global Indigenous Tourism. Officially launched a year ago, DO-IT shares a common goal of visibility, authenticity, and data-driven strategy.
Leaders of DO-IT and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) traveled from Canada to join the event. “International partnerships are essential to advancing Indigenous tourism worldwide, because alone, we cannot grow what we cannot see,” said DO-IT’s CEO, Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard (Mi’kmaq). DO-IT advocates for Indigenous experiences to be counted, reframing how Indigenous tourism is recognized on the world stage.
Among DO-IT’s many priorities is the expansion of “The Original Original” certification—initially developed by ITAC to set standards for authenticity and quality in Indigenous tourism in Canada. While the Association is introducing it to the United States, ITAC is discussing adaptations with New Zealand, Chile, Colombia, and others. ITAC’s President & CEO Keith Henry noted, “Together we are unifying the brand The Original Original to more strategically promote authentic Indigenous destinations worldwide.”
On the home front, the past year saw the Association’s membership grow by 27%; destination and product listings increase by 39%; international engagement reach 200 travel-trade and media partners from 24 countries; and media reach exceed 8.1 billion impressions. All of this has been supported by an expanding staff team.
Using U.S. Census ABS and NES-D data (2017–2020), the Association reports that Indigenous-owned tourism firms generated $11.6 billion in 2020, with one in four Indigenous businesses linked to tourism. More than 133,000 firms now employ 210,000 workers, and from 2017 to 2020, Indigenous tourism jobs and firm counts rose 78.2% and 228%, respectively—figures supported by the Association’s analysis and its economic impact study with SMS Research.
Association CEO Sherry Rupert (Paiute/Washoe) emphasized, “We are not just participants in the industry. We are redefining it. We are creating new global standards rooted in respect, reciprocity, and relationships.” Her dual roles on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board and the National Park Service tourism advisory committee underscore Indigenous influence at the federal table.
From Resource Advantage to Product Development
For decades, Indigenous tourism was defined largely by its resource advantage: landscapes, traditions, stories, arts, and community knowledge. The sector faced a common challenge worldwide: abundant cultural and land assets but uneven product development.
This is changing.
Across Indian Country, tribes are shifting to active creation—developing products, itineraries, guidebooks, and visitor-ready experiences. For example, the Association collaborated with the National Park Service and the states of Arizona and California to produce the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail Tribal Guidebook, inspired by the 1,200-mile route once walked by the Mexican explorer to reach the destination we now know as San Francisco.
The guidebook links more than 80 tribes and serves as an excellent tool for both the travel trade and travelers. Similar cross-tribal itineraries, language-centered experiences, traditional food routes, and eco-cultural journeys are emerging as market-ready products.
This shift—from resource to product, from cultural presence to economic opportunity—is making Indigenous tourism more competitive globally. It aligns with what today’s international travelers seek: meaningful, place-based, community-led authenticity.
A Conversation That Signaled a Turning Point
A moment crystallized the new era. On the conference stage, in a session titled “Driving Inbound Travel,” Sherry Rupert held a fireside conversation with Fred Dixon, President & CEO of Brand USA—the United States’ national destination marketing organization. His presence alone signaled national recognition. His words carried it further.
“What’s happening in Indigenous tourism right now is powerful,” Dixon said. “It is cultural preservation, it is economic development, and it is storytelling at its very best. From Alaska to Arizona, from small tour operators to large destination partners, the leadership and innovation in this room are shaping how the world experiences America.”
He noted that 70% of international visitors want to experience authentic cultural tourism products in the United States. He further remarked that Native destinations are one of America’s “secret weapons.”
Sherry Rupert responded without missing a beat: “How about calling it ‘Native America, the Beautiful!’?” A slogan she instantly crystallized—of the Indigenous, by the Indigenous, for the Indigenous.
This was a notable moment: Dixon was embracing Indigenous tourism as essential to the country’s identity and inbound strategy. Indigenous stories are national stories, presented to the world not as footnotes but as central chapters.
The New Generation on the Horizon
The Association’s vision extends beyond tourism products and the present moment. Nearly 100 high school seniors from Choctaw Central High School and from Jackson, Mississippi, were invited to the conference for a dedicated youth track. Students learned about careers, identity, representation, and the meaning of cultural tourism; interacted with tourism professionals; and experienced warm hospitality.
This initiative addressed a key issue. WTTC projects that by 2035 the sector will face a labor shortfall of 43.1 million people—a 16% gap—with the United States alone accounting for a deficit of 1.04 million workers (see the study The Future of Work in Travel & Tourism: The Key Trends Shaping Workforce Strategies). The Association positioned its annual conference as a workforce and leadership pipeline—possibly the first of its kind among national tourism conferences in the United States.
Furthermore, the Association staged 26-year-old Choctaw youth leader Tyler Bell to deliver the closing keynote—a deliberate choice to spotlight youth leadership rather than a traditional authoritative figure. Bell’s message rang clear and bold: stay rooted in identity, lead with heart, and work together to create a tribal tourism future that honors yesterday and inspires tomorrow.
Youth participation underscores the sector’s recognition that tourism is not only an economic engine but also a cultural and leadership pipeline.
2026: A Landmark Year of Opportunity
The year 2026 will be a once-in-a-century convergence of events: the FIFA World Cup (its largest ever, with 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 North American cities); the United States’ 250th anniversary; the centennials of American Airlines, United Airlines, and three NHL clubs; the 100th anniversaries of multiple luxury hotels in New York, California, Florida, and beyond; and the 100th anniversary of Route 66—the “Mother Road,” which crosses more than 30 tribal communities in eight states.
For Indigenous tourism, these milestones offer a rare opportunity for visibility, storytelling, and global engagement. The Association has launched its America 250 initiative, gathering Indigenous experiences connected to the Revolutionary and early U.S. eras to build a national itinerary of Indigenous narratives. “This anniversary is an invitation to acknowledge the totality of the American experience,” the Association states. “We are still here, and our history is American history.” In 2026, that history will be seen, shared, and celebrated on the global stage.
Haybina Hao reporting for Travelindex on travel, agritourism, adventure travel, destinations.
Haybina is an international travel industry journalist and reports in both Chinese and English.
