ALBUQUERQUE – The nation’s leader in American Indian tourism, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), today announced the launch of a new two-day international tourism training program, Go International, to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico January 9-10, 2017.
As a part of AIANTA’s established international outreach program, Go International is designed to introduce the international tourism market to tribes and businesses looking to create an intentional marketing approach for their tourism program or product.
The national tourism organization encourages businesses and individuals in all sectors of the tourism industry to attend the new training program, which will include curriculum relevant to those with new programs or with established products and tours.
Travel and tourism is the largest service export in the United States, and Indian Country is just beginning to benefit from these international visitors. It is estimated that just 5% of overseas visitors (excluding visitors from Canada and Mexico) to the United States visited Indian Country: in 2015 these international travelers to Indian Country represented $8.6 billion in direct spending in the United States.
Indian Country has seen its overseas visitors grow from a low point of 693,000 in 2007 to the record total of 1,958,000 in 2015. The momentum is growing with a 17% jump in visitors to Indian Country from 2014-2015.
For more information and to register for the Go International training, contact Rachel Cromer Howard at rcromer@aianta.org or 505-724-3578.