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Officials and tribal leaders in California, the state with the second-largest number of federally recognized indigenous peoples in the country, announced Wednesday an initiative to boost tourism among indigenous communities.
The initiative, Visit Native California, and its accompanying website, target the public health and economic impact of the pandemic and seek to raise $1 million from the U.S. Relief Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden last year. Funded by a grant. Tribes announced it in partnership with Visit California, the state’s leading tourism marketing agency.
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This is one of the latest efforts to revitalize tourism across the country after travel and associated spending was halted in the early stages of the pandemic. California is projected to lose her $72.8 billion in tourism spending in 2020, according to a study by data and consulting firm Tourism Economics. The goal is to inform visitors about the music, art, nature and history that have shaped the tribal community for generations. The website promotes locations within the state through podcasts and other means, and provides itineraries to travelers.
“This project, this place, gives my tribe the opportunity and the ability to share our culture,” said Reid D. Milanovic ( Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Kawila Indians) said. Springs.
The plaza, which will open next year, will house the 48,000-square-foot Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, trails, and the sacred Agua Caliente Mineral Springs Spa. Other tribal sites promoted by the campaign include the Barona Cultural Center and Museum in Lakeside, California, and the Santa Monica Mountains Cultural Center near Los Angeles.
Milanovic, whose ancestral land receives 200,000 visitors a year, said he hopes the initiative will lead to similar efforts in other states.
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“I’m optimistic and hope other states across the country will see what we’re doing here in California,” Milanovic said. It’s a win-win.”
Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, estimates that Visit California is reaching out to more than a dozen of California’s 109 tribes ahead of the initiative’s planned rollout in March 2023. increase.
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The leaders involved in this initiative hope to provide visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the history of their tribal lands.
Sherry Rupert, president and CEO of the Alaska Native American Tourism Association, said: