BEST launches online directory of Native American tourism
In conjunction with the Western American Indian Chamber, Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel (BEST) today announced the launch of an online directory of American Indian-owned and managed tourism enterprises.
The website, Native Tourism, which will also be published in a print edition, is the result of a survey conducted by BEST and the Western American Indian Chamber, with the help of a grant from the American Express Company and in conjunction with the University of Colorado Center for Sustainable Tourism.
Michael Seltzer, the Director of BEST, and Ben Sherman, President of the Western American Indian Chamber and an Oglala Lakota, unveiled the online directory today at the World Ecotourism Summit in Québec City during their joint presentation, “A New Era in Travel and Tourism on Native and Indigenous Lands.”
The goal of the project is to empower Indian tribal communities and individual entrepreneurs to develop enterprises that celebrate the cultures and preserve the natural resources of tribal nations, as well as to provide assistance in marketing such enterprises. It is hoped the directory serves as a valuable source for domestic and international tourists, as well as tour organizers, who seek authentic Native American enterprises and sites that offer enriching travel experiences.
Ben Sherman commented, “The Native Tourism directory, with its international reach, will help tribal nations and native entrepreneurs use tourism as a means of fostering economic development while preserving native cultures and natural landscapes. We want to help tribal communities who own and manage such sustainable businesses become key participants in the global tourism market and control their own tourism destinies.”
Michael Seltzer said: “A new era in travel and tourism has been emerging among native and indigenous peoples worldwide. Visitors today have the opportunity to experience the hospitality of North America’s first nations, while also helping tribes to keep their rich cultures, natural resources and ways of life intact for generations to come.”
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