ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) CEO Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe) has been appointed by the Department of Commerce to serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) for a two-year term, marking her second term and a win for Indigenous voices to have a seat at the U.S. tourism industry table.
TTAB members advise the Secretary of Commerce on how government policies and programs affect the travel and tourism industry and offer counsel on current and emerging issues to support sustainable growth of the travel and tourism industry as our nation’s economic engine.
As the CEO of the only national organization dedicated to advancing cultural tourism in Native Nations and communities across the United States, Rupert has more than two decades of executive-level experience managing and promoting Indigenous tourism. She is the leading voice of advocacy for the $15.7 billion Indigenous hospitality sector of travel and tourism in the U.S. and has dedicated her career to advancing cultural heritage storytelling for Indigenous communities across the U.S. by helping these communities realize the economic development potential and significance of preserving generational stories well into the future.
“I’m honored to join the board of directors for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and to represent all Native Nations and communities in our national tourism story,” said Sherry L. Rupert, CEO, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association. “The TTAB plays a key role in providing expert recommendations and industry insight to enhance the American travel experience and I look forward to ensuring Indigenous voices have a seat at the table.”
Prior to assuming the role of AIANTA CEO, she served as President of AIANTA’s Board of Directors and was instrumental in working with U.S. Congress to pass the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act in 2016. She previously served as the executive director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, reporting directly to the Governor of Nevada to serve as liaison to the state’s 28 tribes, bands and colonies and served as the Chairperson of Nevada’s Indian Territory, Nevada Commission on Tourism. In April 2024, Rupert was also appointed to the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors.
For more than 26 years, AIANTA has worked 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.
