Convention shows growth of Native American tourism

ASHWAUBENON - Loretta Webster wanted to find a wider array of Native American artists to showcase in the next Woodland Indian Art Show.

The annual art show, which returns June 1-3 to Ashwaubenon, wants to become nationally and internationally recognized as a destination for Woodland Indian art and culture. The group joined the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) this year to connect with a wide range of artists, but Webster was skeptical whether the group could help.

On Tuesday, the nonprofit Native American tourism group’s annual convention was barely into its second day at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center and Webster was pleasantly surprised by the response from close to 300 tribal tourism officials in town for the four-day event.

“I was a bit skeptical about the AIANTA conference, but so far we’ve made some very good contacts,” she said. “We’ve been talking with administrators of other arts shows. A lot of (federal) agency people work with artists and people have been picking up applications" for the 2018 show.

The American Indian Alaskan Native Tourism Association was founded in 1999 to promote and support tourism across “Indian Country,” the collective name for the 567 American Indian and Alaska Native tribal entities across the United States.

Executive Director Camille Ferguson, a member of the Tlingit Indian Tribe of Alaska, said the group has helped increase international visitors to tribal attractions, lodging, resorts, museums and cultural events from 800,000 visitors in 2007 to 2.3 million in 2015, a 180 percent increase.

“Indian Country tourism is growing at a faster rate than regular tourists to the United States and other tribes continue entering the industry,” Ferguson said. “We offer a great opportunity to network with other tribes, learn more aspects of the industry and get ideas of what other groups are doing.”

AINTA brought 250-300 representatives from Alaska, South Dakota, New Mexico, California, Arizona, Wyoming, New York to Green Bay for its 19th annual convention at a time when Ferguson said younger tourists’ interests align nicely with what Indian Country offers.

“The younger generation wants to experience the destination, not just know about it,” she said. “People want to look, taste and see how things are done. The trends have changed: They want culinary tourism, environmental tourism and experiences. It’s why I think we’re growing.”

Tuesday’s keynote speaker, Quinalt Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp, said tourism often fits well with many tribes’ efforts to exert their sovereignty, preserve culture and show a different way of life than the modern world.

“You can find peace. You can find a place where the land and people and cultures are authentic,” Sharp said. “As the rest of the world approaches the harsh reality that we’re killing the planet and harming our own health, people will find refuge in Indian Country. The connections between tourism and the work you do every day is restoring the culture, empowering tribal leaders to advance our place in the world.”

AIANTA is based in Albuquerque, N.M., but Ferguson said the return to the Green Bay area gave the organization the chance to recognize local efforts that helped sustain AIANTA through its early year. She said the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council and its longtime deputy director of finance, Marcie Metropulos, handled the organization’s finances while AIANTA sought nonprofit status in the early 2000s. Metropulos passed away in March, but her husband, Bob, will accept the Enough Good People Award on her behalf during the awards gala at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council was the bridge that kept us going,” Ferguson said. “It’s good we’re back here and get the chance to recognize them.”

Randy’L Teton, of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho, said speakers, group discussions and vendors have given her tips and advice during her first visit to AIANTA. She said she works with Shoshone-Bannock tour guides.

“I’m very impressed with the speakers and activities over the first two days,” Teton said. “I attended for the networking, the ideas and to continuing providing better education to the mainstream. It’s given me some good ideas.”

The American Indian Tourism Conference runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and then finishes its run from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.