The Future of Cherokee's Economy

I've noted before that Mary Jane Ferguson was elected to the Southeast Tourism Society. In the article published by the Asheville Citizen-Times, Ferguson states, "The tourism landscape is rapidly changing as travel trends evolve due to poor economic conditions. I now have a chance to work with other leaders in the industry to positively impact the growth of travel and tourism throughout the Southeast." I've worked for Ferguson, and if they're going to take her advice on promoting tourism, then they're in trouble. Ferguson is on the board for the Cherokee Historical Society, which proclaims that, unbelievably, they're bucking the trend of declines in visitation reported by other tourism attractions in the area, most notably Asheville, and even the tribe's casino.
Cherokee tourist trade was in decline even in good economic times, and Ferguson's focus has been on the "heritage" attractions, while stores catering to tourists boarded up and closed their doors. While Ferguson has focused on "heritage" tourism, which some studies have shown doesn't work, downtown Cherokee has started rusting into obscurity leaving behind some of the most hideous displays.
Cherokee will soon be tasting the bitter fruits of poor planning. There's an old cliche out there that states, don't put all your eggs in one basket. While tourism is undoubtedly the top economic engine in Cherokee, it needs to explore other opportunities, and Cherokee hasn't been doing that, unless you count Wal-Mart, which basically will be the final nail in the coffin for small businesses left in Cherokee.
So far the efforts to revive tourism have been to thumb their noses at the casino, which admit it or not, is the main reason tourists come to Cherokee, and they tend to spend the most money. They also tend to prefer to shop at high-end retailers, none of which exist in Cherokee. Other such notable efforts have been to borrow a huge amount of money to build a golf course that a private developer could've done at no cost to the tribe, and the chief, based on his own personal agenda, stopped a referendum vote on alcohol sales in the casino, which has been proven at other casinos to boost revenue. Other efforts have been to target pow wow dancers on the streets of Cherokee and the poor guys posing for photos with headdresses on. The Rebel flags, which many tourists find offensive, the trashy display of thongs and lingerie and bear and wildlife displays that could soon bring the ASPCA to picket (Some animal rights activists have already urged tourists to boycott Cherokee.) don't seem to be getting an eye batted by Ferguson. Neither she, nor anyone in tribal planning, economic development or tribal government has addressed the fact that Cherokee typically has the highest gasoline prices in the region, another component that discourages tourists from visiting.
Unfortunately Cherokee is stuck with such lack of insight for the next nearly three years (unless of course Chief Hicks and Vice Chief Blythe are removed from office before 2011 or either one of these two has an epiphany and recognizes a liability when they see one). Ferguson once told me that Cherokee is a Utopia. Yeah, real realistic. She also has labasted me for my work at the Cherokee One Feather because I was too "negative." It didn't matter that my work won awards. It didn't matter that I broke ground for that publication (for example the first time Associated Press put a story from the One Feather on its wire was under my direction). I was expected to push her agenda to make Cherokee look like a Utopia. She wanted stories about people laying sod grass at the fair grounds to be on the front page, and she wanted the drug dealers, rapists, child molesters and murderers buried insigificantly in the middle.
Cherokee needs people promoting tourism who not only know what they're doing, but are willing to be realistic. It means they must be willing to listen to what they don't want to hear. It needs people willing to work with others in the tourism industry rather than alientating them. Then they can take that feedback to create an effective marketing campaign that could actually, and indisputably increase visitation. Unfortunately that's not what Cherokee has now, nor does it have the leadership willing to do something about it.