Alaska has the most tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and Indigenous populations in the United States. Alaska Travel Industry Association Photo Credit
The Alaska Travel Industry Association announced on July 19 that, for the first ever, there would be a seat reserved for an Alaska Native in the board. This person must be an Alaska Native Corporation shareholder or a member in good standing of a federally recognized Alaskan nation to run for the seat.
This is a major move for Alaska. It has the largest Indigenous population of the United States and does not have a specific Indigenous Tourism Organization. ATIA is governed by a board of directors consisting of 24 members who are elected annually for terms lasting three years.
There are only a few Alaska Natives on the board. However, reserving a seat for an Alaska Native is the best way to officially incorporate the Indigenous perspective into the state’s tourism efforts.
There are only three Alaska Native female board members. Emily Edenshaw, ATIA Board member and President and CEO of Alaska Native Heritage Center (Yup’ik/Inupiaq), says that we need men and more perspectives. We’re so diverse culturally, I believe [the seat] will create space for many voices to be heard.
Edenshaw, along with Camille Ferguson of the Tlingit tribe, are credited for proposing this new seat. However the board voted unanimously in favor of the change.
The Cultural Enrichment Committee, and members who backed the tribal seat at the Alaska Travel Industry Association Board of Directors, have made a significant impact on tribal inclusion and marketing of Alaska Natives, said Ferguson, ATIA member, chair of ATIA’s cultural enrichment panel, and economic development director of Sitka Tribe of Alaska.
This designated position is a sign that ATIA takes its mission to promote Alaska and inform Alaskans seriously. We are looking forward to seeing more tribal leaders interested in getting involved.
Scenic Alaska as seen on the Denali Backcountry Adventure.
The ATIA allocated a portion of its budget to cultural tourism in the past two years. Jillian Simpson is the president and CEO of the ATIA. She says that in the last year, the ATIA has collaborated with Indigenous producers to create campaigns for their cultural marketing. This new Alaska Native seat could lead to increased investment in Alaska Native culture tourism.
Edenshaw says that the designation of tribal seats today is not only the right thing to be doing, but also a great example of business acumen. National research has shown that when people engage in cultural tourism they spend more and stay longer.
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, in partnership with SMS Research, presented the Economic impact of Indigenous Tourism Report in 2021. This report found that Indigenous tourism was a $14 Billion industry in the U.S. in 2017. According to Future Market Insights, Indigenous tourism will be a $40 billion global industry by 2022.
“[This seat] opens up space for Indigenous voices.” Marketing is not everything. The seat itself is important. Edenshaw explains that it’s all about working with existing cultural tourism organizations and uplifting them.
Elections for the board director seat are scheduled to take place in September. All candidates must be ATIA Members and either shareholders of an Alaska Native Corporation, or members of a federally recognised nation in Alaska.