Casino Enterprise Management

As Indian Gaming continues to thrive in America, tribes are witnessing an amazing transformation. Gaming has lifted many American Indians out of decades of poverty and destitution, and is now fueling economies that provide a wealth of needed services to tribal members. Gaming revenue is used to build infrastructure on reservations, provides health care and education to millions, and is reinvested in diversified programs and opportunities that grow strong economies. Gaming revenue is helping establish a number of industries, including technology, retail, health care and natural resources exploration. A natural choice for economic diversity is the tourism industry, which combines cultural empowerment and hospitality. In doing so, American Indian tourism creates a forum for cultural expression through industry.

With the growth of Indian Gaming and an accelerated interest in American Indian culture, the tourist trade has become more economically viable for tribes everywhere. Indian Gaming brings people from around the world to reservations in all corners of the country. In return, this growing industry contributes to the well-being of indigenous peoples and the preservation of valuable assets, including lands, culture, heritage and language. 

Many tribes and individuals are organizing resources to attract visitors to some of America’s most historical, scenic and recreational sites located in Indian Country. For example, Native Tourism (www.nativetourism.org) is a national program of the Western American Indian Chamber that was created to assist travelers and travel planners in locating American Indian tour attractions and tourism services throughout the United States.

The United States is home to more than 550 different indigenous nations, reservations, pueblos, rancherias and villages, and Native Tourism helps travelers find many of them. Whether it’s searching for pow wows, cultural centers, museums, historical attractions, casinos or golf resorts, this site provides a wealth of information for interested travelers. And by helping plan trips to Indian Country, Native Tourism supports the growth and economic vitality of sustainable American Indian tourism enterprises in the United States.

The most comprehensive resource on tourism in Indian Country, however, is provided by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA). Based in Albuquerque, AIANTA provides a forum for networking and partnership building, and creating thriving tribal tourism economies.

According to Janice Hirth, executive director of AIANTA: “The association has taken on the responsibility of educating tribes, communities, businesses and travelers in general on American Indian issues and opportunities, and helps grow the American Indian Alaska Native tourism market. In doing so, we’ve become the national resource for tribes in tourism.”

The association’s website, www.aianta.org, is dedicated to helping travelers visit tribal homelands to experience and enjoy American Indian cultures and hospitality. The site allows visitors to browse a list of tribal nations in the United States to learn what each nation has to offer. You can also search geographically by state, alphabetically by tribe, or click on “Attractions” to search for the tribes, resorts and destinations that offer the experience you are looking for. By clicking on the AIANTA logo, you enter the area of the website dedicated to providing resources to tribal programs and businesses that build capacity and awareness for the tribal tourism industry.

AIANTA also offers a great resource to tribes by hosting annual educational conferences. The next conference is scheduled for Sept. 22–24, 2008, at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort in Worley, Id., and will feature sessions for tribes just beginning or considering tourism operations, all the way to those with sophisticated tourism departments.
AIANTA’s partner organizations include: NIGA, the Southeastern Tourism Society, National Congress of American Indians, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tourism Industries of America Inc., Western States Tourism Policy Council, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. In addition, many other organizations and government agencies participate in the conferences, including representatives from many tourism tribes and tribal vendors throughout the country.

Indian tribes also have strong relationships with local communities that are accommodating visitors with the development of visitor centers, museums, fine restaurants and first-class lodging. For example, in 2003, the Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Indians bought the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego for $45 million and spent more than two years and $50 million to renovate and redevelop it as a five-star hotel. San Diego’s Mayor Jerry Saunders thanked the Sycuan Band for the restoration of the historic landmark and for “returning the Grant Hotel to everyone” in the city.

A number of state tourism departments also work to leverage traveler interest in American Indian culture to increase out-of-state visitation. Wisconsin, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and California are just a few states that actively market the culture, beauty and excitement travelers will experience when visiting reservations and tribal attractions.

Perhaps one of the more exciting examples of tourism partnering in Indian Country is the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee partnering with the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association (AAITA). The 2008 Arizona Indian Festival, presented by the AAITA, is already being tapped for the upcoming NFL Super Bowl. The 2008 Arizona Indian Festival will be part of the Host Committee’s Super Celebration Series, a series of officially sanctioned events leading up to Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz.

Host Committee President Bob Sullivan said: “The Host Committee saw the 2008 Arizona Indian Festival as a natural fit for our Super Celebration Series. We wanted to provide our visitors with experiences that are uniquely Arizona, and the Native American culture is certainly an integral part of our state’s heritage.”
We’ve also seen incredible growth and maturation of our tourism industry through the convergence of tribal casinos and first-class entertainment. In the first phase of gaming tourism and entertainment, we saw Indian tribes in large markets build gaming facilities into destination resorts with top-flight golf courses, spas and hotels. Now we are seeing tribal governments build entertainment complexes that feature top stars and major entertainment.

Tribal-owned casinos and resorts continue to offer live show performances as part of their entertainment selections. And more than ever, tribal venues are bringing in big names. Tonight Show host Jay Leno has been performing at tribal casinos since they opened, and he continues to be a frequent attraction at tribal-owned casinos from coast-to-coast.

Tribes have also discovered that music and comedy acts are not the only way to go. Sports entertainment is one of the newest arenas for Indian casino entertainment, and the tribes venturing into this territory are succeeding. In fact, the level of performance at some facilities has turned them into major tourism destinations.

Last spring, the Mashantucket Pequot Nation entered the international spotlight when it held its 100th boxing event at Foxwoods. Other trailblazers in Indian Country include the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, which in 2003 became the first non-NBA owner of a WNBA team with its $10 million purchase of the Orlando Miracle. Renamed the Connecticut Sun, the team won its third consecutive Eastern Conference title last summer and nearly fills the Mohegan Sun Arena every game.

Although Indian Gaming and tourism is allowing many tribal governments to break free from decades of poverty, it has not solved all the problems resulting from a past of neglect and mistreatment. Much work remains for Indian Country to ensure all of our people have a quality of life they deserve. As in other industries, our growing tourism industry has leaders and shining stars throughout Indian Country, and I hope we continue to learn from their bold initiatives and successes. I encourage tribes to do all they can to help travelers plan trips to Indian Country, because by doing so, we are supporting the growth and economic vitality of sustainable American Indian tourism enterprises in the United States. Doing this strengthens all of Indian Country.

Ernie Stevens Jr. is the Chair of the National Indian Gaming Association and a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. He can be reached at (202) 546-7711.