---
kind: "section"
citation: "25 U.S.C. § 4353"
title: "25"
title_heading: "Indians"
number: "4353"
heading: "Integrating Federal tourism assets to strengthen Native tourism opportunities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/25/4353"
units:
  - "Chapter 44A — Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience"
---

# §4353. Integrating Federal tourism assets to strengthen Native tourism opportunities

- (a) **Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior—** The [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce and the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior shall update the respective management plans and tourism initiatives of the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to include [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3).
- (b) **Other agencies—** The head of each [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) that has recreational travel or tourism functions or complementary programs shall update the respective management plans and tourism strategies of the [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) to include [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3).
- (c) **Native American tourism plans—**
  - (1) **In general—** The plans shall outline policy proposals—
    - (A) to improve travel and tourism data collection and analysis;
    - (B) to increase the integration, alignment, and utility of public records, publications, and Web sites maintained by Federal [agencies](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1);
    - (C) to create a better user experience for domestic travelers and international visitors;
    - (D) to align Federal [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) Web sites and publications;
    - (E) to support national tourism goals;
    - (F) to identify [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) programs that could be used to support tourism capacity building and help sustain tourism infrastructure in Native American communities;
    - (G) to develop innovative visitor portals for parks, landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, and assets that showcase and respect the diversity of the indigenous peoples of the United States;
    - (H) to share local Native American heritage through the development of bilingual interpretive and directional signage that could include or incorporate English and the local Native American language or languages; and
    - (I) to improve access to transportation programs related to Native American community capacity building for tourism and trade, including transportation planning for programs related to visitor enhancement and safety.
  - (2) **Consultation with Indian tribes and Native Americans—** In developing the plan under [paragraph (1)](#c-1), the head of each [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) shall consult with [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2) and the Native American community to identify appropriate levels of inclusion of the [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2) and Native Americans in Federal tourism activities, public records and publications, including Native American tourism information available on Web sites.
- (d) **Technical assistance—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior, in consultation with the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce, shall enter into a memorandum of understanding or cooperative agreement with an entity or organization with a demonstrated record in tribal communities of defining, introducing, developing, and sustaining American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian tourism and related activities in a manner that respects and honors native traditions and values.
  - (2) **Coordination—** The memorandum of understanding or cooperative agreement described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1) shall formalize a role for the organization or entity to serve as a facilitator between the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior and the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce and the [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3)—
    - (A) to identify areas where technical assistance is needed through consultations with [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3) to empower the [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3) to participate fully in the tourism industry; and
    - (B) to provide a means for the delivery of technical assistance and coordinate the delivery of the assistance to [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3) in collaboration with the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce, and other entities with distinctive experience, as appropriate.
  - (3) **Funding—** Subject to the availability of appropriations, the head of each Federal [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1), including the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Transportation, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Agriculture, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Health and Human Services, and the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Labor shall obligate any funds made available to the head of the [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) to cover any administrative expenses incurred by the organization or entity described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1) in carrying out programs or activities of the [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1).
  - (4) **Metrics—** The [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior and the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce shall coordinate with the organization or entity described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1) to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of the entity or organization in strengthening tourism opportunities for [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3).
- (e) **Reports—** Not later than 1 year after September 23, 2016, and occasionally thereafter, the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior and the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce shall each submit to the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes—
  - (1) the manner in which the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior or the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce, as applicable, is including [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3) in management plans;
  - (2) the efforts of the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of the Interior or the [Secretary](/usc/25/5130.md?p=1) of Commerce, as applicable, to develop departmental and [agency](/usc/25/4352.md?p=1) tourism plans to support tourism programs of [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3);
  - (3) the manner in which the entity or organization described in [subsection (d)(1)](#d-1) is working to promote tourism to empower [Indian tribes](/usc/25/4352.md?p=2), [tribal organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=4), and [Native Hawaiian organizations](/usc/25/4352.md?p=3) to participate fully in the tourism industry; and
  - (4) the effectiveness of the entity or organization described in [subsection (d)(1)](#d-1) based on the metrics developed under [subsection (d)(4)](#d-4).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 114–221, § 4, Sept. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 848.)