JOURNEY INTO INDIAN COUNTRY
Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Cultural Tourism
Join our special webinar series to learn how individual Native entrepreneurs can explore opportunities that exist to create small businesses related to cultural and geographical tourism in Indian Country.
Moderated by Stacia Morfin
Nez Perce Tourism LLC
Stacia and other Native entrepreneurs from around Indian Country will share their story of creating businesses which respectfully share the rich history and beauty of their tribal culture and homelands.
All webinars will take place at
12:00 – 1:00 Pacific / 1:00 – 2:00 Mountain / 2:00 – 3:00 Central / 3:00 – 4:00 Eastern
CLICK EACH SESSION TITLE TO REGISTER FOR THAT SPECIFIC SESSION
If you would like to register for the entire series you can send the following information to Lynn Wilson, lynn@idrsinc.org and she will personally register you for all sessions.
First and Last Name
Cell Number
Email
State of Residence
Tribe
Session 1: Cultural Preservation & Economic Development
December 3rd
In this webinar, Stacia will discuss the importance of cultural tourism in terms of:
- Economic prosperity for individual Native entrepreneurs
- The benefit to tribes and Native communities who are able to tell their own story in their own way
She will share how Nez Perce Tourism, LLC is economically benefiting herself, her family and her community. She will also discuss the concerns her community had in regards to cultural tourism and how she overcame those challenges.
Session 2: Sacred vs. Secret vs. Widely Known
December 17th
In this webinar we will discuss the importance of never crossing the fine line between exploitation of a people and respectful knowledge sharing. Our ultimate goal is to define the borders and align them with the opportunity to offer authentic cultural experiences. Stacia will share how she helped her community understand what she wanted to accomplish with Nez Perce Tourism and how she gained insight from elders on the parts of the Nez Perce culture that can be appropriately shared with guests.
Session 3: How to Identify Opportunities for Tourism Related Businesses in Your Community
January 7th
This session will provide strategies Native entrepreneurs can use to identify opportunities for tourism related business including identifying gaps in services and products that meet the needs of visitors to Native communities.
Session 4: How Collaborative Partners Can Strengthen Your Value Proposition
January 21st
Learn how you can partner with other tourism related business in your area to offer services and market tourism opportunities in your region.
Session 5: The Path to Discovery – How to conduct market research to determine the feasibility or your tourism business idea
February 4th
This webinar will discuss how to conduct market research to identify your target market and competitors. You will also learn about the resources that exist to help you find the information you need. You will also learn what organizations within Indian Country are available to assist in guiding you through the market research process.
Session 6: Financial Planning
March 3rd
In this webinar session, you will learn how to fund your tourism business through grants, competitions and special loan programs for Native Americans.
Session 7: Avenues for Advertising Cultural Tourism Services
April 7th
This webinar will discuss ideal places for tourism related businesses to advertise their services. Stacia and a guest entrepreneur will share their strategies for marketing their tourism services through word of mouth as well as local and online resources.
Session 8: Developing Multiple Revenue Streams
May 5th
In session 8, Stacia will discuss how she has developed multiple revenue streams for Nez Perce Tourism through various types of tours and cultural experiences.
Session 9: Ecological Knowledge: The Importance of its Sacredness
June 9th
Tourism businesses play an important role in ensuring both themselves and their customers make sustainable conscious choices when visiting Indian Country. Stacia will discuss how Nez Perce Tourism plays a key role in ensuring Idaho’s ecological and geographical environment and provide tips any tourism business can take to become more environmentally friendly.
Session 10: Establish a Team of Cultural Consultants/Performers
July 7th
Through the utilization of other members in the tribal community, Tourism operators can enhance their ability to provide authentic cultural experiences and make a positive impact on the economic well-being of other tribal members. In this webinar, Stacia will share how she utilizes/hires people within her tribe to help provide some of the cultural tourism services offered by Nez Perce Tourism.
Session 11: How to Price Authentic Experiences
August 11th
Pricing products and services can be a challenge for any Native entrepreneur. In this webinar, you will learn through the experience of other tour operators on how to charge for tourism-related services to ensure good value for the customer and profitability for the business.
Session 12: Culture Tourism: Stay Ahead of Travel Trends
September 8th
The tourism industry in Indian County is growing and changing at a rapid pace. The way we conduct business and the opportunities arising through tourism are topics every tourism related business should be aware of. Learn about the resources available to keep you updated on the tourism industry through industry associations, publications and networking events that connect you to other tourism entrepreneurs.