After seeing the impact of its Spanish-language Visitor Guide, Visit Beloit expanded its vision to create one of the nation’s first destination guides translated into Ho-Chunk, pairing print, digital, and audio experiences to honor the Ho-Chunk Nation’s ancestral connection to the region. Timed alongside the Nation’s historic investment in Beloit through its new casino development, the project reimagines tourism marketing as a tool for cultural recognition, accessibility, and inclusion.
After the success of our Spanish-language Visitor Guide, we recognized an opportunity to expand accessibility while also acknowledging the deep cultural history of the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose ancestral homeland includes present-day Beloit. The timing was especially meaningful as the Ho-Chunk Nation prepares to open its new Beloit casino, creating an opportunity to strengthen relationships and welcome the Nation's renewed presence in the community.
Rather than pursuing a standard translation, we built the project around authentic collaboration. We partnered with Ho-Chunk Nation member Henning Garvin, who translated the entire 2026 Visit Beloit Destination Guide and recorded audio narration of the guide in Ho-Chunk. His involvement ensured the language was represented accurately while adding a human voice that brought pronunciation, rhythm, and cultural authenticity to the experience.
Our vision extended beyond print. We wanted visitors to experience the language in multiple ways, so we integrated three connected formats: a printed visitor guide, a fully digital version hosted on our website, and audio recordings that allow users to read along while hearing the Ho-Chunk language spoken. This layered approach transformed a traditional visitor guide into an immersive storytelling experience while also increasing accessibility for different learning styles and audiences.
One of the project's greatest challenges was ensuring the guide honored the language and culture rather than simply translating words. Because no examples of Indigenous-language destination guides existed (that we could find), there was no established roadmap to follow. Every decision, from translation and pronunciation to digital presentation, required thoughtful collaboration, careful review, and a willingness to approach tourism marketing differently. We viewed that challenge as an opportunity to create something meaningful rather than merely innovative.
What makes this project unique is that it reimagines the role of a destination visitor guide. Instead of serving solely as a travel planning resource, it becomes a platform for cultural recognition, language visibility, and inclusion. By combining print, digital, and audio experiences in a federally recognized Indigenous language, Visit Beloit created what is believed to be one of the first destination visitor guides of its kind in the United States. The project demonstrates how destination marketing organizations can use their platforms not only to attract visitors, but also to honor the stories, voices, and heritage that define the places they promote.
The Ho-Chunk language version of our Visit Beloit Destination Visitor Guide has generated promising digital guide views since launch, indicating early engagement with a fully bilingual, multi-format destination resource that combines print, audio narration, and digital access. The initiative was also introduced during this year’s National Travel & Tourism Week at Visit Beloit’s official kickoff event, where it was shared with regional tourism partners and stakeholders, marking its first point of industry exposure. In addition, the project’s launch was covered by local broadcast media, including WIFR-TV, extending its visibility beyond Visit Beloit’s owned channels.
While still in its early adoption stage, the guide represents a new model for destination marketing by integrating Indigenous language access directly into visitor-facing content, establishing a replicable framework for culturally inclusive tourism communication that extends beyond traditional English-only visitor guides.