Indigenous people living in the Great Plains, Black Hills, and Badlands have recently developed a new one-of-a-kind Dakotas tour and are excited to be able to welcome visitors and share their history and culture. Destination America, in partnership with the South and North Dakota Tribal Nations, South Dakota Department of Tourism, and the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW IITS), has created and will offer a nine day cultural tour of tribal lands in the Dakotas starting in Spring 2023. This tour, called “National Parks and Native Trails of the Dakotas,” is a fascinating journey through South and North Dakota. Travelers can take the tour from May through August in a 20-30 person coach.
Creating the tour took intense collaboration, time, and testing. The tour is designed to delight visitors in meaningful Indigenous tribal experiences, support local Native American communities and allow tribes to share their culture, history and legacy in their own ways through the powerful incorporation of storytelling.
GW IITS supported the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA) and North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (NDNTA) during the tour planning process which included a familiarization (FAM) tour for Destination America, in-person product development workshops, and a test run of Destination America’s multi-day tour.
Tour development began back in July 2021 with the FAM tour showcasing tourism sites and attractions in South and North Dakotas that could be included in a tour itinerary. Sites included the Lakota Youth Development Initiative and many points of interest on Pine Ridge, Rosebud and Standing Rock Reservations, as well as the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. The FAM tour was led by SDNTA and NDNTA members.. GW IITS’ participation during the FAM tour helped identify technical assistance needs for development, pricing and successful operation of the new tour.
GW IITS held in-person product development studio workshops and training sessions in November 2021 for each tribal nation and native organization contributing to the developing tour. Tribal participants were guided in creating engaging itineraries that are profitably priced. At the workshop’s conclusion, all the tribes and organizations were ready to submit their tour packages–itineraries and prices–to Destination America.
The final step of the tour development process was a test tour of the multi-day itinerary. In July 2022, GW IITS and the SD Department of Tourism co-hosted a four-day test evaluating the tribal components of the upcoming tour. Planned stops in national parks and monuments were not included in the test. The twenty test participants were a mix of tour operators, marketers, guides, and SDNTA members who provided practical feedback on touring sites on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Rosebud Reservation, the Lakota Youth Development Camp in Milks Camp, and the Sitting Bull Visitor Center in Standing Rock Nation. Activities included storytelling performances, a traditional native food tasting of dishes made with fresh produce, a Native tea demonstration and touring a living history village, cultural heritage museums and art galleries.
Traditional Native food was served for lunch at the Lakota Youth Development Tour
Rated a great success, the test tour gave tour providers valuable practical insights and guidance and allowed tour providers and operators to strengthen their developing relationships.
The National Parks and Native Trails of the Dakotas tour launches to great fanfare in the Spring of 2023. Proud participants GW IITS, SDNTA, NDNTA, Destination America, and participating tribes and national parks are all excited to share the first-of-its-kind tour with curious travelers.
For more information about this tour, visit the tour package from Destination America here: https://www.trafalgar.com/en-au/tours/national-parks-and-native-trails-of-the-dakotas
It was all smiles during the FAM tour at the Rosebud Reservation
