New focus on tribal tourism in Arizona

State promoting sites, culture

Arizona tourism leaders hope to boost tribal and state visitation by hiring a full-time Native American tourism development manager, studying who visits Indian land and forming a tribal advisory council.

John Stearns
The Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0107nativetourism07.html

"This office has been doing a lot of things to promote Native American tourism . . . (but) what we have not done is been as inclusive with the tribes" and working more as partners, Margie Emmermann, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, said of the new initiatives.

Thomas Beauty, tourism manager for the Camp Verde Yavapai-Apache Indian Community, said he would welcome state outreach.

He encourages tourism officials to visit tribes to learn about the people and their activities.

"It just seems like when they talk about tourism in Arizona, they’re missing the Indians," Beauty said. "And this is what (tourists) come to see."

Emmermann hopes a full-time liaison with the tribes, whose sole responsibility will be tribal tourism development, plus ongoing dialog with tribes about tourism initiatives will help the tribes and the state.

Tourism is a big piece of Arizona’s economy. Domestic visitors spend about $12 billion a year, and tourism employs more people than any other state industry.

The tourism office has commissioned a $250,000 study, to be conducted this year by Northern Arizona University on tribal lands, to help determine who visits and how to reach them. NAU plans to gauge visitors’ tribal experiences and measure their economic impact.

"There’s simply no data out there," said Cheryl Cothran, director of the Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center at NAU.

Cultural and heritage visitors are a key Office of Tourism target because they typically stay longer and spend more, Emmermann said.

"One of the areas they are interested in is Indian tourism," she said. "We definitely know that one of the biggest offerings for us is Native American."

Tia Jones, of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and president of the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association, said the state’s efforts will give Native American tourism the attention it deserves and reciprocate tribes’ contributions to state tourism funding via shared gambling revenue.

"This is a new beginning," Jones said of tribal-state tourism cooperation. "This is actually working toward the unified, one Arizona that the governor (Janet Napolitano) speaks about."

Yavapai-Apache official Beauty sees huge tourism potential for his tribe and others. Millions of people visit nearby Sedona annually, providing a deep pool to tap, he said.

"I think it’s here," he said of the potential. "It’s just, ‘How do we go about capturing or marketing, or how do we go about making money off this?’ "

The San Carlos Apache Tribe will employ its hunting guides to lead nature walks and birding trips this year, Jones said of its new tourism push.

Emmermann said about half of the state’s 22 tribes have a strong interest in tourism.

Her office expects to hire the manager this month. Applications have closed for the job, which will pay $35,000 to $45,000 a year.

"This is going to be one of those evolutionary processes," Emmermann said of tribal tourism. "But without the tribes partnering with us, it’s not going to be as effective."