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Indiana Tourism Academy


In 2022, ITA launched the Indiana Tourism Academy. The mission for the academy is to provide education, resources and networks needed to develop tourism professionals for the state of Indiana.

Why:

  • Need to educate more individuals in the tourism industry to deepen Indiana's tourism bench for the future
  • Currently no education program for the tourism industry professionals to grow their knowledge on a statewide level

Who:

  • Any individual in the Indiana tourism industry who is looking to grow in their knowledge of the industry from a statewide perspective
  • Preferred two years in the tourism industry

What:

  • Participants will attend an initial kick-off call on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 10am (EST)
  • Participants attend six, in person sessions held from 9:30am-3pm (EST) over the course of a year that cover the following core topics:
    • Tourism 101 (held during Indiana Tourism Conference in March and will only be a one hour session)
    • Tourism Executive Operations (Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at the Indiana State Museum)
    • Tourism and Hospitality Assets (Wednesday, June 28 at Holiday World): ITA Social Day will be held at Holiday World on Tuesday, June 27
    • Community Development/Quality of Place/Economic Development (Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at the Indiana State Museum)
    • Tourism Research (Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at the Indiana State Museum)
    • Tourism Advocacy (January or February, 2024 in downtown Indy)
  • Participants will participate in other zoom calls throughout the year tentatively set for the following dates at 10am (EST). More dates may be added.
    • Wednesday, May 17
    • Wednesday, August 16
    • Wednesday, November 15
  • Participants submit a final "project" that will showcase the information learned and apply it to a destination/community/region
  • Participants have a book component to read/discuss with their class
  • Participants leave with an overarching understanding of the tourism industry and be able to articulate that to others as well as advocate for the industry

Application and Program Details:

  • Cost for the academy is $799/Member and $999/Non Member. This includes:
    • All five sessions (outside of the conference session), lunch and parking
    • $100 off Indiana Tourism Conference registration for current year
  • In addition to the application, a letter of recommendation from a current ITA member and a current resume is required
  • Deadline to apply for 2023 will be December 31, 2022. Click here for the application. 

Please contact Carrie Lambert if you have any questions.