World Indigenous Tourism Alliance

What World Indigenous Tourism Alliance does

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) is a non-profit, Indigenous-led global network incorporated on March 27, 2012 in the Larrakia Nation, Northern Territories of Australia. The organization is founded on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and operates under the Six Principles of the Larrakia Declaration, with direct connections to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). WINTA was established to facilitate international partnerships on behalf of six founding Indigenous tourism associations — Maori Tourism (New Zealand), IndigenousBC (Canada), Native Tourism Alliance, WAITOC (Australia), Sapmi Nature (Sápmi), and Snow Leopard Trek — and has since expanded its network to include Latin American partners such as ASONTIC (Colombia), RITA (Mexico), REDTURI (Panama), and ITAC (Canada).

WINTA's core deliverables are conferences and workshops (the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference, the World Indigenous Tourism Summit, and the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School), policy advisory services guided by the Larrakia Declaration, a multilingual resource library, and the WINTA Pulse newsletter. Its 2023 Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School in Colombia trained 45 Indigenous leaders from 19 Indigenous peoples across 22 departments in a 15-day program. The organization is guided by a Leadership Council and operated by a dedicated team of volunteers, with no proprietary technology, no app, and no commercial product.

The business model is non-commercial: WINTA does not disclose pricing, revenue streams, or commercial products, and operates through membership, event participation, and government/institutional partnerships (e.g., the Colombian Vice Ministry of Tourism funded the Itinerant School). Customer/stakeholder segments include Indigenous communities seeking empowerment through tourism, tourism industry entities seeking culturally appropriate frameworks, governments and NGOs needing policy guidance, and the six founding Indigenous tourism associations. Two senior leaders have passed away in recent years — Secretariat Johnny Edmonds (2018) and Chairman Ben Sherman (April 2024) — creating a leadership succession risk that may impact UN-level advocacy and strategic continuity.

Name

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance

Legal name

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance Ltd

Website

https://winta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) is an Indigenous-led non-profit global network that supports Indigenous rights in tourism, promotes sustainability, and fosters partnerships among Indigenous communities, governments, NGOs, and tourism operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Tourism Advocacy and Network Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Indigenous tourism advocacy
• Global tourism network
• Indigenous cultural tourism
• Nonprofit tourism alliance
• Tourism policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Applecross

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Not specified: As a non-profit organization, WINTA's revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in the source material. The organization was incorporated in Australia and operates as an Indigenous-led global network without detailing specific revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WINTA is an Indigenous-led global non-profit network that provides a forum for collaboration, policy advocacy, and capacity building for Indigenous tourism. It delivers international conferences and workshops (e.g., PAITC, WITS), a 15-day Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School training program, strategic destination consultation, and a resource library of declarations, reports, and policy guidance for Indigenous communities, governments, NGOs, and tourism operators.

Product overview

WINTA (World Indigenous Tourism Alliance) is a not-for-profit Indigenous-led global network that operates as a unified organizational structure rather than a software platform. It provides a portfolio of services including a global membership network, conferences and workshops (such as the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference), training programs (Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School), policy advisory services, and a resource library containing declarations, reports, and guidelines. The organization focuses on empowering Indigenous communities through tourism while preserving cultural integrity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WINTA Global Network Membership An Indigenous-led global network providing a forum for collaboration, partnership development, and representation for Indigenous communities, tourism operators, states, and NGOs engaged in Indigenous tourism.
• International Tourism Conferences and Workshops International conferences, seminars, and workshops such as the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC) and the World Indigenous Tourism Summit (WITS) that share Indigenous tourism knowledge, values, and best practices across global networks for Indigenous communities, tourism operators, and government stakeholders.
• Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School A 15-day immersive training program delivered in partnership with national tourism authorities that builds capacity in Indigenous tourism development, cultural preservation, and sustainable tourism practices for Indigenous leaders and communities.
• Policy Advisory and Strategic Destination Consultation Expert policy advice, advocacy, and strategic destination consultation from an Indigenous perspective to advance sustainable tourism development, support Indigenous rights, and inform tourism policy for governments, NGOs, and tourism operators.
• Indigenous Tourism Resource Library A curated digital collection of documents, reports, declarations, research protocols, and guidelines (including the Larrakia Declaration) that supports evidence-based Indigenous tourism development for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
• WINTA Pulse Newsletter A newsletter providing subscribers with regular updates and news on Indigenous tourism developments worldwide, including policy changes, community initiatives, and WINTA activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained 45 Indigenous leaders from 19 Indigenous peoples across 22 Colombian departments in a single 15-day program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Colombian Vice Ministry of TourismmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Government partner for the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School project. Provided institutional support and funding for training 45 Indigenous leaders from 19 peoples across Colombia.
• Asociación Nacional de Turismo Indígena de Colombia (ASONTIC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023National Indigenous tourism association in Colombia. Key partner in organizing the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School and representing Colombian Indigenous tourism interests.
• Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Provided special participation and expertise to the Colombian Itinerant School. Contributes Canadian Indigenous tourism best practices and knowledge to international capacity building initiatives.
• Red Indígena de Turismo de México (RITA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Mexican Indigenous tourism network providing special participation in the Colombian training program. Shares expertise and strengthens cross-border Indigenous tourism networks in Latin America.
• FILACminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Participated in the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School as a regional Indigenous organization contributing to Latin American Indigenous tourism development.
• Red de Turismo Indígena de Panamá (REDTURI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Panamanian Indigenous tourism network providing special participation in the Colombian training program. Strengthens regional Indigenous tourism collaboration in Central America.
• Universidad del ExternadominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Colombian university partner providing academic support and expertise to the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School initiative.
• Universidad Autónoma Indígena Intercultural (UAIN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Indigenous university providing academic and intercultural expertise to the Itinerant Intercultural Indigenous Tourism School, contributing to culturally appropriate curriculum development.
• Maori TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Founding shareholder of WINTA. Represents the Indigenous Māori people of New Zealand in the global Indigenous tourism network. Contributes to the alliance's goal of connecting local Indigenous cultures with the travel industry.
• IndigenousBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Founding shareholder representing Indigenous tourism in British Columbia, Canada. Provides regional perspective and expertise in Indigenous tourism development to the global network.
• Native Tourism AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Founding shareholder and alliance partner for Indigenous tourism development. Contributes to knowledge-sharing and best practice development across Indigenous tourism stakeholders.
• WAITOCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Committee - Founding shareholder. Represents Indigenous tourism operators in Western Australia and contributes to policy development and advocacy.
• Sapmi NaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Founding shareholder representing Indigenous tourism in Sapmi (Sápmi) region covering parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Contributes Arctic Indigenous perspective to the global network.
• Snow Leopard TrekcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012Founding shareholder contributing to Indigenous tourism network. Focuses on culturally sensitive tourism in mountain regions where Indigenous communities reside.
• United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2012International organization that WINTA has established direct connections with through the leadership of Chairman Ben Sherman. Provides global platform for Indigenous tourism advocacy and policy development.
• Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012WINTA serves as the Custodian of the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference, a major international event for Indigenous tourism stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Others

• UN Tourism (UNWTO): The UN agency for tourism, with which WINTA has documented direct connections. Not a competitor but the supranational policy umbrella under which WINTA operates, making it the most relevant institutional peer/partner for global policy advocacy.

Direct peers

• Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC): National Indigenous tourism association in Canada and a documented WINTA partner. Both organizations serve as advocacy and capacity-building bodies for Indigenous tourism operators in their respective geographies, with overlapping mission and stakeholder base.
• Red Indígena de Turismo de México (RITA): Mexican Indigenous tourism network and a documented WINTA collaborator. Comparable as a national/regional Indigenous-led tourism network operating in Latin America with similar capacity-building and advocacy functions.
• Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC): A WINTA founding shareholder representing Indigenous tourism in British Columbia. Operates as a provincial Indigenous tourism industry body with overlapping mission of cultural preservation and economic empowerment through tourism.
• Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC): A WINTA founding shareholder and Australian state-level Indigenous tourism body. Shares the same Indigenous-led mission and CEO Robert Taylor also serves as WINTA Secretariat, making it the most operationally entangled peer.
• New Zealand Maori Tourism: A WINTA founding shareholder and the national body representing Maori tourism in New Zealand. Directly comparable as a national Indigenous tourism association operating in a different geography but with shared mission, Indigenous-led governance, and advocacy role.
• Asociación Nacional de Turismo Indígena de Colombia (ASONTIC): National Indigenous tourism association in Colombia and a documented WINTA training partner. Closely comparable as a national Indigenous tourism body in Latin America, co-delivering capacity-building programs with WINTA.

Broad incumbents

• World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC): Global tourism industry body representing the private sector of travel and tourism. While not Indigenous-focused, it operates at the same UN/policy interface and convenes comparable multi-stakeholder forums that intersect with WINTA's advocacy work.
• Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): Global industry association for the adventure travel sector, with overlapping member base among Indigenous tourism operators. Broader incumbent serving the same adventure travel niche from a non-Indigenous-led position, but with substantially larger events and resources.

Emerging players

• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC): Global standards-setting body for sustainable tourism with criteria that intersect with Indigenous rights and cultural preservation. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder standards and certification body that could become a parallel or complementary authority in the Indigenous tourism space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/localxplorer
• Facebookfacebook.com/WINTA.community
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-indigenous-tourism-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Indigenous Tourism Alliance