By Sentinel Staff
The three-day Heritage & Cultural Tourism Conference kicks off here Tuesday with 100 participants in the fields of travel, tourism and Native culture.
The conference, to be held at Centennial Hall, is co-hosted by Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
“Celebrating both Native culture and tourism, the event serves as an important bridge between the travel and tourism industry and local culture and heritage,” organizers said. “With conference session topics ranging from how to work with tour operators and cruise lines to how to create your own regenerative tourism strategy, the conference offers expert education for professionals at all levels and in all sectors of cultural tourism.”
Representatives are expected from the U.S. Travel Association Board of directors, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association board of directors, and the Alaska Travel Industry Association board of directors, “who will come together to share industry trends and build stronger networks within the two industries.”
Topics include the state of the industry, customer service, cultural sensitivity, marketing, tourism development, funding, legal, community development and best practices.
Chuck Miller will be emcee at the welcoming ceremony 9 a.m. Tuesday, followed by the color guard, St. Michael’s Cathedral prayer by Father Ishmael, and presentations by STA Tribal Council Chair Woody Widmark and Sitka Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz. Richard Peterson, president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska, will also take part in the welcome and Sen. Lisa Murkowski will make a video address.
Sherry Rupert, CEO of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, will give the keynote address, on Economic Impacts Cultural Tourism Brings to the U.S.
Other speakers include Sarah Leonard, from the Alaska Travel Industry Association, with an address on Cultural Tourism as part of Travel Alaska; and Renée Limoge Reeve from Cruise Line International Association partnering with Scott Habberstad of Alaska Airlines, on the Future of Air and Cruise Travel.
Seleni Matus from the International Institute of Tourism Studies at George Washington University will lead a session on Global Guidelines for Operator and Indigenous Communities.
“This year’s tribal delegates and presenters are from the Mandan, Arikara and Hidatsa Tribe, Nez Perce, Navajo, Piute, and all around Alaska, making this a unique networking opportunity to share cultural tourism practices” says Camille Ferguson, conference co-founder and economic development director at STA.
“It’s an incredible, resource-rich and diverse gathering of people. Attendees get to learn from and network with people involved at the national, state, and local levels of cultural tourism, and that is a unique feature of this conference.”
Other topics include:
– Global Guidelines for Operator and Indigenous Communities
– Assessing Your Community for Cultural Tourism Development
– Working with Tour Operators/Cruise Line Expectations for Contracting
– Regenerative Tourism Strategy – Creating a local plan
– Funding Your Tourism Project
– Business Tools for Alaska Native Artists.
Conference registration is open now at bit.ly/RegisterHCTC.
