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Marketing collective promotes aboriginal tourism aggressively by Marie-Lauren Gregoire SIX NATIONS - A new marketing association on Six Nations is promoting aboriginal tourism with gusto and reaching new markets for businesses, organizations and attractions. The Six Nations New Credit Marketing Collective is an organization that represents 55 native owned or operated organizations involved in the tourism industry. The collective is doing what has never been done before by any group on Six Nations. "The reason we're marketing ourselves is that bottom line, we need tourists," said Kim Porter, chair of the Six Nations New Credit Marketing Collective. "To get ourselves out there, to let the world know about the best kept secret, that's what came out of the study." The marketing collective evolved three years ago after a recommendation from a tourism marketing survey. The collective is implementing many of the recommendations of the survey. "The Six Nations New Credit Marketing Collective was born out of the Six Nations Tourism ad hoc working group which came together in 1997 and 1998 to undertake the Net Gain study," said Kim Hill, community development manager, Community Futures. The Net Gain study produced a few recommendations one of which was to establish an independent marketing organization to promote tourism. "The study was presented to the ad hoc committee in 1998 with recommendations to establish a separate entity to encompass the stakeholders in tourism." said Hill. "It was commissioned by the ad hoc working group and the funding was leveraged by Chiefswood and Six Nations Tourism." Since those recommendations the Six Nations New Credit Marketing Collective evolved and has brought increased awareness to Six Nations business and tourism community.