Visitor Industry Product Development Workshop

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Visitor Industry Product Development Workshop

• Camille Ferguson
• Sitka Tribe of Alaskas
• Economic Development Director

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Sitka Tribe of Alaskas Cultural Tour Program

• Example of Cultural Tour Program
• Resources Needed
• Components
• Partnerships

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Welcome to Sheetka

• History is not only about what happened, it
  is also about the present, yours and ours.  We
  cordially invite you to experience Sitka on a
  Tlingit Cultural Tour!  Not as an outsider
  looking in - but as a participant, with us,  in
  an ancient and ever changing world.

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Our Mission
To present local, native culture in a positive,
reinvigorated tone resulting in tour program
with an authentic perspective on the Tlingit
culture, while providing economic opportunities
for the native community of Sitka.
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Training Resources

• Cultural
• Tlingit Elders
• Kayaani Commission
• Local Herbalist
• Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center- Artist
  Program
• STA- Traditional Foods Program
• STA-Customary Traditional Resources

• Local
• Sitkas National Historical Park
• Sitka Historical Society
• St. Michaels Russian Orthodox Church
• Alaska Host Program
• Sheldon Jackson Museum

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Business Concept

• Employment for Native Community
• Profitable and Self - Sustaining
• Authentic Quality Tour Product
• Perpetuate Tlingit Culture

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Sitka Attractions
Landscape
History
Culture
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More attractions..
Wildlife
Adventure
Fishing
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Tour Package
Sitka National Historic Park
Authentic Native Dance Performance
Alaska Raptor Center
Sheldon Jackson Museum
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Benefits

• Expanded service help business compete in todays
  full-service market
• Future profits for Tribal Citizens
• Increased Employment for Tribal Citizens
• To perpetuate our culture through tourism.
• Create a pride among native people

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Package Product
The Kuskokwim - Bering Sea Adventure
Anchorage Gateway to Alaska
Bethel Western Alaskas Hub
Toksook Bay Dance Birdwatching Grass Baskets
Mekoryuk Reindeer Musk-ox Quiviut Birds
Quinhagak Hiking Fishing Beaches
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Tourism Planning for Bethel

• Planning Group- Stakeholders
• Resources
• Planning Development
• Understanding Tourism
• Benefits of Planning

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Tourism Planning Group

• Chamber of Commerce
• Visitors Bureau
• City Government
• Village Corporations
• Tribal Governments
• Businesses
• Education, University
• State and Federal Agencies
• Individuals and Elders
• Tour Operators
• Cultural Organizations

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Tourism Resources

• Cultural Programs and Interests
• Transportation Providers
• Funders
• Internet, on-line programs
• Planning tools, example comprehensive community
  planning internet resources

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Tourism Planning Development

• Start up and Operational planning
• Incubator Small or new business, Department of
  Labor, others
• Small business training UA
• Accounting
• Tour guiding and operators
• State DOLWD programs targeted, small business,
• Information about individual village- history,
  cultural emphases, movement
• Self sustaining operation - revenue

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What do Alaska Visitors Want

• Wildlife
• Scenery
• Culture
• History
• Nature
• Fishing
• Adventure

• Visitors want to hear, see, feel and taste their
  experiences
• Visitors want to be connected with the people who
  live in Alaska.

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Benefits of a Healthy Visitor Industry Planning

• Increased Business Opportunities
• Increased Employment Opportunities
• Ability to Promote Development and minimize
  negative affects on cultural ways, historical
  sensitivity and preservation allowing for local
  control.
• Create a Sustainable Tourism base for the
  community that will support City Government

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Community Participants

• Bethel
• Mekoryuk
• Quinhagak
• Goodnews Bay
• Toksook Bay
• Napakiak

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Community Profile 5-As

• Access
• Attractions
• Accommodations
• Advertising
• Attitude

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Sitka
Opportunities
Challenges

• Tannery
• Community House
• Store/Market
• Tribal Tours
• Rental

• Cost Artists help operational costs

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Y/K Delta
Opportunities
Challenges

• Rivers summer
• Rivers winter
• History
• Survival
• Sleeping Giant
• Food
• Brochure, promotion
• Delta opportunities - compares to Mississippi
• Reminds people of Newfoundland, New Brunswick

• Collecting history
• Lodging accommodations
• Food
• 9/11
• Policies, governance
• Infrastructure
• See through new eyes

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Y/K Delta
Opportunities
Challenges

• National Wildlife Refuge
• Catcher/Seller fishing licenses
• Internet
• Language Dictionary - common words
• Bragging rights
• Lack of infrastructure can work to your advantage
• World wild web
• Kayaking experiences, traditional transpo.

• 6 pack licenses
• Insurance
• Follow-through, delta-wide
• Networking
• Operation costs
• Need a plan B weather, etc.

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Bethel
Opportunities
Challenges

• Alaska Airlines
• Extra day in Bethel
• Airport, Air hub
• Local tours
• Air charters flights to check out Bethel
• Alaska packages including Bethel
• Domestic travel advantage, post 9/11

• Reactions/Impressions (of residents)
• Information at airport
• Trip planning information

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Bethel
Opportunities
Challenges

• Destination cultural center, hovercraft
• Business travelers, add something fun
• Companion (fare)
• ANHC partnership
• Anchorage Museum
• Tapes, photos and films that exist
• KYUK videos

• Negative reputation or image
• Need photos information
• Historic preservation project
• Insurance
• Maps and information

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Bethel
Opportunities
Opportunities

• AK Humanities Forum
• Library
• AVCP Cultural Heritage program
• Marketing Strategy
• Village dollars
• Hotels, restaurants
• Hub
• Fish processing/smoking MAP a resource

• Region Artists/Artwork
• Saturday Market
• Regional Cultural Center
• Sales outlets
• City Tourism Project VISTA, Chamber
• Transportation

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Mekoryuk
Opportunities
Opportunities

• Nunivak Island
• Sleeping Giant, we use the whole island
• We have names for the rivers
• Water taxi
• reindeer,
• Birds
• Mink

• Culture camps
• Cruise West-Nash, guides went on board this year
• Known, reputation use to promote region
• Dance

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Mekoryuk/Nunivak Island
Opportunities
Challenges

• Arts and Crafts masks
• Traditional knowledge preservation
• Reindeer products
• Halibut
• Quiviut
• Humanities Forum map
• language

• Getting artists to market, Nash
• Lodging
• transportation
• Wilderness constraint
• Market research

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Mekoryuk/Nunivak
Opportunities
Opportunities

• Nunivak Island
• Sleeping Giant, we use the whole island
• We have names for the rivers
• Muskox, reindeer hunts,
• Birds
• Mink, seals
• Beaches

• Culture camps
• Cruise West-Nash, guides went on board this year
• School/senior project i.d. target market
• Bethel bird (Audubon) trip to Nunivak
• Science Camp Nash

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Quinhagak
Opportunities
Challenges

• Fishing
• Hunting birds bear moose
• Seals
• Fish Plant
• 2 rivers
• Mountains
• reindeer

• Transportation to airport, etc.
• Need property at airport
• Dance, bringing back

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Quinhagak
Opportunities
Challenges

• Potential lodging
• Dillingham links
• Togiak Refuge near
• Floaters
• Transport airport shuttle
• Coffee shop
• Expanded airport

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Quinhagak
Opportunities
Opportunities

• Road system
• Fishing from shore
• History, old village
• Tours, visitors from all over are coming
• Diverse ecosystems, species
• History, reputation radical
• Beach walks

• Coffee Shop Survey-market info.
• What will you tell your friends about here.

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Goodnews Bay
Challenges
Opportunities

• Training for guides
• 6 pack licensing
• Business startup
• Follow through, sticking to it.
• Duplication of services, avoid
• Networking, coordination
• Insurance

• Hills, mountains,
• Marine mammals
• Carter Bay, Chagvag
• Water and sewer system improvements
• Togiak, 3 refuges
• Walrus haulouts

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Goodnews Bay
Opportunities
Opportunities

• Airport Expansion
• Dillingham links, ERA, Freshwater Adv
• Tribe interested in developing an ecotourism
  business
• Arts and crafts masks, baskets
• Commercial fishery
• Platinum (historic mining)

• Bay Tour
• Fishing reputation (trout)
• Museum
• Dance group (travelling)
• Moravian youth group
• Kayaking, canoeing
• Bedrock
• World is getting smaller
• internet

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Goodnews Bay
Opportunities
Challenges

• 5 salmon species
• Take a steam

• Doing business with the State, for rural, tribal
  developments
• Networking
• FUEL
• River use impacts

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Tooksook Bay
Opportunities
Challenges

• Grass baskets, local artisans
• Hills skiing, recreation
• NO TREES
• Road developments planned
• Etolin Strait birds, whales
• Herring and halibut commercial
• Dance, cultural events, Youth

• No tourism businesses
• Starting in the business
• Communications between villages, with State,
• Mentors
• Shallow water port

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Tooksook Bay
Opportunities
Challenges

• Arts and crafts website sales
• Blackberry festival
• School Teacher retreat/training
• Scenic, cliffs
• Muskox
• Transport opportunities
• Subregional clinic

• Access
• Lodging
• Fuel
• Shelter, communications, information at airport

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Akiak
Opportunities
Challenges

• Built it but nobody has come yet
• Opposition, reservations
• Operating capital
• Expensive transport
• 9/11
• River use impacts proposed hp limit

• Ecotourism
• access
• Existing operation boats, cabins
• Hovercraft access
• River tour from Bethel
• Eagles, falcons, BIRDS
• Unique vegetation, language
• Kesirolic River special, fragile Wild River
  NWR

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Hooper Bay
Opportunities
Challenges

• Baskets
• Ivory Carvers
• Shore, beach
• Lodging
• Fish camps
• 3 rivers
• 1200 residents
• Airport
• Water and sewer
• Washeteria (sauna)

• Water and sewer
• Fuel and Energy costs
• Wildlife Refuge
• Communications at airport

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Hooper Bay
Opportunities
Challenges

• Fuel is available, swipe your card
• Sand Dunes
• Wildlife Refuge
• 2 dance groups
• Spring seal hunts

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Markets

• Japan students (Mt. Edgecumbe) who know
  japanese

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Partner Package Opportunities
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Platform

• AFN pursue economic development strategy
  statewide

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Who are my Customers?

• Fisherman
• Birdwatchers
• Adventure Traveler
• Eco tourist
• Botanists

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Partners for Marketing

• Chamber of Commerce
• Convention Visitors Bureau
• Alaska Travel Industry Association
• American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association
• Your Package Partners

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Media

• Alaska Airlines News Story
• America Native News Calling- National Live
  Interview
• Statewide News Story
• ATIA New Products
• Travel Writers
• News and Press Releases

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Brokers

• Visitors Bureau or Chamber
• Tour Operators
• Alaska Unusual
• All Alaska Tours
• Premier Alaska