Laureen's Page
COMMUNITY
BASED TOURISM:
Church
Rock Chapter Tourism Action Committee
Small native communities, like the Church Rock Chapter, have a rich heritage and unique tourism resources to share with visitors from around the world. With 76% of Church Rock families on Welfare, there is a need to diversify their economy. Increasingly, native communities are viewing tourism as an economic development strategy. Laureen Lerch, VISTA volunteer, is currently working with the Navajo Nation Department of Tourism and specifically the Church Rock Chapter to develop a tourism feasibility plan.
The Church Rock Chapter is looking for community members to become involved in the Tourism Action Committee. Communities interested in developing tourism should do so with the same kind of long-term, commitment to work with a variety of groups, and strategic planning that is often used when luring other types of industries to town. The Tourism Action Committee will be meeting monthly at the Chapter House. All of the Church Rock community members are encouraged to attend
Who visits the reservation?
According to the 2002 Navajo Nation Second Quarter Profile that was prepared by the Arizona Hospitality Research & Resource Center, many tourists visit the Navajo Nation for its outstanding and spectacular scenery. The twin draws of scenery and culture provide some of the Navajo Nation’s greatest attractions, pulling in visitors from all over the US and from other countries. The vast majority of visitors (87.1%) indicated that they were visiting the Navajo Nation for general sightseeing, followed by visits to both Tribal and National Parks (55.5%), and historical areas or historical sites (50.9%), and visiting museums (24.9%). The magnificent scenery results in more than one third of respondents taking photographs (42.2%) or pursuing photography to document their visit. Shopping is always a primary tourist activity and the Navajo Nation is no exception. The Navajo Nation has a well-developed identity for its arts and crafts, including pottery, silver jewelry and rugs. Outdoors activities were also popular with hiking and walking (34.5%), stargazing (13.5%), camping (15.5%), wildlife-bird watching (11.5%), and picnicking (9.2%) popular with a significant portion of the visitors. Educational activities are also important to people who want to experience the culture and history of the people of the Navajo Nation.
Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!
Laureen Lerch
VISTA Entrepreneur Corps
Navajo Nation Department of Tourism
Church Rock Chapter Community Outreach
(505)863-7743
LaureenLech@hotmail.com