This week, Native representatives from across Alaska will come to Anchorage for the 2014 Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Annual Convention and Tradeshow, where the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) will host a cultural tourism educational meeting – the first of its kind at this convention.

The AFN Convention is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples and draws nearly 5,000 attendees each year.

“It’s imperative to bring tourism into the discussion at an event like this,” said Camille Ferguson, AIANTA Executive Director. “We want to educate Alaska Natives on the economic opportunities cultural tourism can present.”

At the cultural tourism meeting, Ferguson, along with AIANTA’s public relations & media specialist Rachel Cromer and AIANTA Board Vice President Rachel Moreno, will educate attendees on the vast opportunities cultural tourism offers as well as AIANTA’s main initiatives to promote and enhance Indian Country tourism throughout the world. These initiatives include international tradeshows ITB Berlin and IPW (formerly known as International Pow Wow), inclusion in Brand USA’s Inspiration Guide, and AIANTA’s annual American Indian Tourism Conference. AIANTA will also introduce additional opportunities for public outreach and marketing as well as AIANTA’s development of new tools for cultural heritage tourism growth across Indian Country including a destinations website to encompass all of Indian Country throughout the United States.

“AIANTA’s work with Brand USA, international outreach and the development of various tourism development tools across Indian Country are just a few of the opportunities and collaborative efforts we hope will inspire AFN Convention attendees,” said Ferguson.

Also a topic of discussion at the cultural tourism session will be the Native American Tourism & Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, which is being written to enhance and integrate Native American tourism, empower native communities, increase coordination and collaboration between Federal tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural tourism opportunities in the United States. In support of the passing of the Act, AIANTA is seeking to raise awareness and gain additional support of the potential legislation.

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Alaska had a larger presence than ever at the 2014 annual American Indian Tourism Conference (AITC) in Louisiana last month. With representation from four different Alaska organizations and businesses, the 2014 AITC proved now to be an opportune time to introduce tourism to Alaska Natives. At AITC, Alaska Native Voices won AIANTA’s Best Cultural Experience award and CIRI Alaska Tourism Corporation took home the award for Excellence in Customer Service. AIANTA’s Alaska region also elected Mario Fulmer, Visitor Programs Manager at Huna Totem Corporation/Alaska Native Voices, as the new regional representative.

This year’s AFN Convention, will be held at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, Alaska October 23 – 25 and will feature a renowned Alaska Native customary art show. The annual event is a private gathering of delegate and membership, but AFN welcomes visitors to all the central activities including assembly sessions with speakers and forums, and the art show and sale/AFN exhibit fair.

For more information about AFN and the annual convention, visit NativeFederation.org.