MARKSVILLE, La. (October 31, 2024) – The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) recognized the best of travel and cultural tourism across Native Nations and communities at its annual Excellence in Tourism Industry Awards. Awardees were announced on October 30, 2024, at the 26th Annual American Indigenous Tourism Conference held at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana.
“It’s an honor to recognize these Indigenous hospitality industry programs and professionals for all of their incredible achievements,” said Sherry L. Rupert, AIANTA, Chief Executive Officer. “Each honoree epitomizes how Indigenous cultural and heritage tourism programs can successfully attract visitors and grow economic development while celebrating their own heritage and culture, and we congratulate all the award recipients and nominees.”
Every year, AIANTA, the only national organization dedicated to advancing cultural tourism in Native Nations and communities across the United States, recognizes enterprises and individuals in four categories: Best Cultural Heritage Experience, Excellence in Customer Service, Industry Professional of the Year, and Indigenous Destination of the Year.
Best Cultural Heritage Experience was presented to the Choctaw Cultural Center. Located in Durant, Oklahoma, the Choctaw Cultural Center creates an unforgettable immersive experience from the moment guests drive through one of the largest intact Choctaw prairies on the reservation. Expert tour guides lead guests through exhibitions where they can interact with 14,000 years of Choctaw history and culture through one-of-a-kind life cast exhibits, featuring Choctaw tribal members populating the landscapes. Daily schedules offer guests the opportunity to watch social dancing and stickball demonstrations, with an invitation to participate and learn why these are critical to cultural sovereignty. The Choctaw Cultural Center also holds stickball clinics for children and adults that also integrates the Chahta anumpa (Choctaw language) and hosts tournaments on our competition field. During its first three years, the team has created engaging curriculum and immersive experiences for multiple generations through educational books and children’s magazines. It has established new classes, programs, workshops, events, and activities created around Choctaw Culture, traditions, and core values.
Excellence in Customer Service – Paragon Casino Resort. As a promise made when Paragon Casino Resort was first founded in 1994, it continues to keep guest satisfaction a top priority. Based in Marksville, Louisiana, the casino resort offers more than 30 tables including a High Limit Room, live poker and sports betting, and more than 1,000 slot machines featuring the latest in gaming technology. To accommodate the young ones, the property boasts a three-screen movie theater, three pools, a supervised play center, Kids Quest, and more. For outdoors lovers, Paragon offers an RV Resort and for the last 13 years it has received a perfect rating from Good Sam Club, an international organization of RV owners. Paragon Casino Resort also stays passionate about providing guests with a cultural experience as well, as it incorporates Native American education and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe across its property.
The Industry Professional of the Year Award was given to Cheryl Trask, Senior Manager of Cultural Retail and Sales for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. As senior manager of cultural retail and sales for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism, Cheryl has been a leader in Indian Country Tourism for more than 20 years. Her tourism career began in the resort industry where she helped build a successful sales program for a premier lake resort in Oklahoma before returning to her roots, her home and her tribe, Cherokee Nation. She joined Cherokee Nation 20 years ago as the tribe built its first casino resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma. In her role of sales manager, Cheryl helped introduce the motor coach and group sales program, which led to hundreds of thousands of guests experiencing Cherokee Nation’s culture infused casino, resort amenities and conference space. Eventually, her passion for Cherokee traditions and values transitioned her away from the casino resort and into a role with Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism where she helped launch a cultural guided tour program. Her mastery of customer service training was instrumental in the development of Cherokee Nation’s tribal gift shops and its first wholly owned museum. Cherokee Nation now boasts seven museum sites each with their own unique chapter in the tribe’s history. In her two-decade tenure with Cherokee Nation, Cheryl has built programs and initiated the operation of more than 10 cultural retail and museum venues.
Indigenous Destination of the Year – Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. Former Mescalero Apache Tribal Chairman Wendell Chino had a vision to develop a ski resort on the Mescalero Apache Tribal lands in the late 1950s. Chairman Chino was successful in his vision and “Apache Ski Resort” was developed in 1961. As a result, Inn of The Mountain Gods Resort and Casino was built in 2005 to help support the Mecca ecotourism and authentic cultural destination experience on the Mescalero Apache homelands. Zip lines travel to the property and are next to a beautiful lake that offers kayaking, swimming, hiking and fishing. The resort and casino are located next to the horse stables, a hunting lodge that supports some of the finest sustainable big game hunting in the world, RV park, cultural museum, and a world-renowned golf course. The destination hosts local authentic art, Indigenous storytelling and is filled with interpretive art, architecture, sculptures, and interpretive signs, making it a beautiful representation of the Mescalero Apache People.
AIANTA has delivered on its mission over the last 26 years to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian tourism that honors traditions and values. Most notably, its successful legislative work that led to the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act) funding in 2018, as Indian Country Tourism was recognized through federal appropriations via NATIVE Act implementation.
AIANTA continues to address inequities in the tourism system and has served as the national voice for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian nations engaged in cultural tourism, while providing technical assistance, training and capacity building to Native Nations and communities and Native-owned enterprises engaged in tourism, hospitality, and recreation.
Native Nations and communities who are looking to start or expand their cultural tourism footprint can find resources at www.aianta.org and visitors interested in learning more about Native culture can visit www.nativeamerica.travel.