Tribal leaders say there’s more to tourism than slots

Conference aims to diversify industry

More than 350 American Indian leaders are meeting at a tribe-owned resort and spa in Chandler this week to devise new ways to take advantage of Americans’ renewed interest in traveling close to home.

By Sara Thorson, Associated Press The Daily Camera

Tribal representatives want to make solid connections in the national tourism industry, said Rory Majenty, director of tourism for the Hualapai Tribe and master of ceremonies for the three-day conference.

The Fifth Annual American Indian Tourism Conference focuses on planning, marketing and creating new draws for tourism on tribal land.

"As Indian people, we’ve always been in the tourism business," Majenty said. "We now need to market it, control it and present it."

After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the tourism industry reported that more Americans were choosing to travel in the United States, rather than going abroad.

Majenty said he hopes that trend will bring renewed knowledge of tribal culture for American tourists.

"People forget about the first Americans," he said.

At the same time, tribal leaders are concerned about ancient traditions being exploited in the name of cultural tourism. Today’s Indians walk a fine line between living in this world and protecting the ancient one.

"It’s a balancing act for us to coordinate," Majenty said. "We live (in) two worlds and speak two languages."

Many tribes have seized on one very modern way of attracting visitors: casinos.

Fifteen of Arizona’s tribes have casinos. Tribal officials said they don’t want to move away from gambling, but they want to let tourists know there’s more to the Indian world.

Tia Jones, president of the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association and a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, said tribes trying to establish cultural tourism have to deal with a misinformed public.

"A lot of times, from all over the country, we’ll get calls from people asking us if we still live in teepees," she said. "They don’t realize that there are different types of American Indians and different tribes."

Tribal officials hope that tourism opportunities on reservations will make misperceptions less common.

"As tribes in Arizona, we’re fortunate to have a very beautiful landscape," Majenty said. "So (tourists) are going to come. It’s just a matter of us monitoring what we want them to see or do."

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/state_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2419_2159588,00.html