20 Influential Women in the Travel Industry

Who she is: CEO of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA)

What she has done: AIANTA CEO Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe) has nearly two decades of executive-level experience managing and promoting Native American tourism. Since joining AIANTA as CEO in 2019, she has spearheaded several initiatives, including the organization’s groundbreaking new Tribal Agritourism program and overseeing AIANTA’s first-ever virtual American Indian Tourism Conference, which drew a record number of registrants in 2020.

As CEO of the only national association dedicated to indigenous tourism in the United States, she is the leading voice when it comes to advocating for travel and tourism as a significant economic driver in tribal nations. Among her responsibilities, she curates a robust educational program for tribes and indigenous-owned hospitality enterprises around the country. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she was President of AIANTA’s Board of Directors since 2010. During that time, she was instrumental in working with Congress to pass the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act.

Rupert was formerly the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, where she reported directly to the Governor of Nevada to serve as a liaison to the state’s 27 tribes, bands, and colonies. During her tenure, she led the Nevada Indian Territory initiative and won awards and accolades for her work in the preservation of the Stewart Indian School and the development of a museum and cultural center on the historic site.

What changes would you like to see in the travel industry? 

"I’d like to see more American Indian history taught and learned in the U.S. If more people realized just how much amazing history there is here at home, it would change the way they travel. Take UNESCO World Heritage Site Poverty Point in Louisiana. Although it is often called North America’s first city, not nearly as many Americans are familiar with Poverty Point and the Native people who built this National Historic Landmark by hand, as they are with the other historical landmarks from the same era,  like Egypt’s Great Pyramids, the Mayan ruins, and even Stonehenge.

I’d also like to see travelers become as passionate about exploring local culture and experiences here in the U.S. as they are about learning about indigenous communities internationally. Here at home, we have 574 federally recognized tribes (and many more state-recognized and other tribes), with each having its own language, cultural heritage, and traditions. So much of this culture dates back thousands of years and the rich cultural heritage that has evolved over time include one-of-a-kind visitor experiences, from powwows to Indian Relay horseracing to Indigenous food-making programs. So many of these experiences are just a car trip away from America’s major airport hubs and yet they tend to be under-recognized by travelers."