Copyright © 2006 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved
News from the Cherokee Nation, OK
Copyright © 2006 CNO
TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – The Cherokee Nation will host a “Working Conference on Cultural Tourism Development” on Monday, May 15, from 2-4 p.m. at the Cherokee Casino Resort in the Grand Hall of the Cherokee in Catoosa, Oklahoma.
The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Building, located in Tahlequah, is one of the many historic tourism sites throughout the Cherokee Nation. 
Participants, especially members of the press working and writing for the state’s tourism industry as well as representatives from the local and national levels, are invited to attend this conference to assist the Cherokee Nation in developing its Cultural Tourism Plan. They will provide input regarding basic tourism and to determine how to grow tourism in Oklahoma as well as the Cherokee Nation.
Guest speakers will include Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and Mary Fallin, Lt. Governor of Oklahoma.
“Participants’ input and support will provide the diversity of perspectives needed to strengthen the planning process. This initiative is also an invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas and learn how we can work together to help grow cultural tourism in Oklahoma,” said Smith.
Such a plan can only increase tourist spending in Oklahoma, which reached nearly $3.9 billion in 2002, a 1.3 percent increase over 2001. Ten of the 77 counties in Oklahoma received over $50 million in domestic travel expenditures in 2002.
In helping the Cherokee Nation, this plan is also expected to help grow tourism in Oklahoma. Among businesses benefiting from the plan are tourist offices, national tourist agencies, travel agencies, tour operators, hotels and motels, campgrounds and parks, restaurants, cafes, shops and banks.
Cultural tourism is based on the mosaic of places, traditions, art forms, celebrations and experiences that portray the Cherokee Nation and its people, reflecting the diversity and character of the Cherokee Nation. Among entities furthering cultural tourism are Cherokee Nation’s historic buildings and sites, its government, businesses, and special events as well as the Cherokee Heritage Center and Museum.
Additional meetings will be held on Monday, June 5, from 2-4 p.m. at the Cherokee nation Complex in Tahlequah, Okla.; and on July 3, August 7 and September 4 from 2-4 p.m. Locations for the last three meetings, all of which occur on Monday, will be announced later.
A comprehensive Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Plan should be finished by September 2006. The plan will be implemented in phases beginning in 2007.
For more information on the Working Conference on Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Development, contact Linda Turnbull-Lewis, Cherokee Nation Tourism Development Project Manager, phone: 918-458-9322 or 918-453-1932 (cell) or e-mail her. For the Cherokee Nation Tourism Planning Office, contact Carolyn Woodruff, phone: 918-207-3954.
| Related Cherokee Nation contact information: |
|
Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org
Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager |
Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org
Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation |
