Ashvegas posted a story about Cherokee. Through the tribe's cultural marketing, it's defying the odds and reporting an increase in visitation this past year.
OK, let's get something straight. Over the past several years, fewer and fewer vehicles could be seen traveling through Cherokee. When I was a kid, you couldn't get through Cherokee without it being at least an hour's drive on the 4th of July. This July 4, it was no problem. I've gone to "Cherokee Historical Association" attractions this past year, and I have a hard time believing that attendance was up with any kind of significance. Anyone who's struggled to pay the $4 a gallon prices for gasoline right around the peak of tourist season knows they weren't going to drive unless it was necessary. With people who aren't affected by travel costs like that, they're going to forgo Aspen or Paris for Cherokee? Who are they trying to kid?
Even the tribe's spinners can't deny that the largest attraction in Cherokee is the casino. It reported that profits were down this year, which means visitation was down (in fact the casino's been cutting jobs). It showed in tribal members' casino per capita payments. Without the casino, the Historical Association would get a fraction of its visitation.
Where is the Historical Association getting its numbers? Here's a better question, will the tribe release how tribal levy has been doing? In particular, how's tribal levy excluding the casino's contribution? I have my doubts we'll be given these numbers willingly.
Other reasons to question this finding is the fact the so many tribal businesses in Cherokee have been hurting. It wouldn't be a surprise to see a large number of them close. They'd probably question visitation being up in Cherokee too.
The Goss Agency was quoted in the press release cited by Ashvegas. The Goss Agency was hired by the tribe to help paint a rosy picture of life in Cherokee. I'd be curious to see how the Goss Agency responds to the number of shops closed in downtown Cherokee or the nice new condos built that aren't even 25% occupied, despite the waiting list for housing. Maybe the Goss Agency would like to explain why the quality of life in Cherokee has be steadily decreasing over the past five years. Can they? Because tribal leadership sure isn't explaining it.
BTW, for my Native American readers, the Goss Agency in Asheville replaced Native American owned firm G&G Advertising in Albuquerque, N.M. who actually came up with the smartest ad campaign to promote Cherokee that I'd ever seen.
Interesting that the tribe wants to rely on the Goss Agency when it suits them. The same company was used to conduct a market study for the tribally-owned weekly newspaper The Cherokee One Feather. Goss found two notable findings. There was a lot of interest in the "Rants and Raves" column which Chief Michell Hicks ordered discontinued (likely because it had a lot of anonymous criticism aimed at him), and that people didn't want a censored, "happy," newspaper. I actually have a copy of this study, conducted in 2006.
Until I see some actual financials, ones that weren't run through government filters, I don't believe a word of this. I'm sorry, but Cherokee's leadership has no credibility, and some of them sit on the board for the Cherokee Historical Association. If the Citizen-Times or any other publications receive this press release, I hope they'll ask questions. There's an old saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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