AIANTA wins Top Ten Best Exhibit Award at 2014 ITB Berlin

Albuquerque, New Mexico (March 8, 2014) - As the world’s largest tourism fair winds down, ITB officials and a team of students from the international Cologne Business School (CBS) awarded 2014’s Best Exhibitor Awards (BEA) to “the most impressing exhibitors.”

AIANTA is the only U.S. exhibitor to be recognized with a 2014 BEA.  The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, with its exciting new visitor pavilion, was named among the top ten exhibitors in The Americas and The Caribbean Category.

CBS student officials visited all 11,000+ booths at ITB, judging them for creativity, originality, service quality, sustainability and special effects.  Martina Leicher of the Cologne Consultancy COMPASS GmbH, which mentors the project, said, “For the exhibitors, the award is an important benchmark indicator for their trade fair performances and thus for their marketing success.”

AIANTA Executive Director Camille Ferguson said of AIANTA’s winning booth, “The changes we made in the exhibit to reflect the Native people and connect them to the destinations truly made an impact.  But it was the participants who made the pavilion come alive and show the sustainability of our products.  All of that was part of the judging criteria.”

 

About AIANTA

The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit association of American Indian tribes, tribal tourism, cultural and private sector representatives, representatives from the tourism industry, Federal, State and local governments, colleges and universities, and friends that was incorporated in 2002 to advance Indian Country tourism. The association is made up of representatives from six regions: Alaska, Eastern, Midwest, Pacific, Plains and the Southwest. AIANTA's mission is to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian tourism that honors traditions and values.

 

The purpose of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association is to provide our constituents with the voice and tools needed to advance tourism while helping tribes, tribal organizations and tribal members create infrastructure and capacity through technical assistance, training and educational resources. AIANTA serves as the liaison among Indian Country, governmental, educational and private entities for the development, growth, and sustenance of Indian Country tourism. By developing and implementing programs and facilitating economic development opportunities, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association helps tribes build for their future while sustaining and strengthening their cultural legacies.