GRAND CANYON —Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren told tribal leaders that the Navajo Nation is ready to be a leader in tourism.
Nygren spoke at a tourism tribal roundtable at Grand Canyon National Park last week. The event was organized by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The purpose of the event was to discuss tribal job creation through new businesses and growing the tribal tourism economy.
“We have more than 4,000 Navajo businesses,” Nygren said. “Earlier this year we forgave 36 months worth of business site lease payments because we want to support our Navajo businesses as they come out of the two-year pandemic downturn.”
Nygren said most tour companies often cite the Grand Circle as the “ultimate Southwest road trip.” The highway route includes Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon in Page, Ariz., Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks in Utah, Moab, Utah, and back to Monument Valley.
But when looking at a map, these highly-visited sites that encircle the Navajo Nation often bypass those spectacular stops within the Navajo Nation such as Navajo National Monument, the Four Corners Monument, Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City, Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the geographic center of the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo capital of Window Rock, he said.
Once exposed, tourists love to experience Navajo culture, food and language to learn about the Navajo way of life and Navajo practices such as how to tie a hair bun, herd sheep, watch rug weaving, see silverwork created, and sample frybread and Navajo tacos, Nygren said.
According to “The Economic Impact of Travel in Arizona,” a report by Dean Runyan Associates of Portland, Ore., travel spending in Arizona increased 19.3% from $23.6 billion in 2021 to $28.1 billion in 2022.
The three primary sources of tax revenue generated by the travel industry are sales tax from visitor spending, taxes paid by travel industry businesses and taxes paid by travel industry employees attributable to travel-generated earnings.
Nygren said the Navajo Nation is properly poised to increase its share in this economy through partnerships recommended by Hobbs and the National Park Service.
Through partnerships with the state and tourism organizations and tour companies, he said, a strategy can be implemented to introduce tourists to the Navajo Nation, its people and rich history, while investing time and resources into Navajo small businesses, Navajo airbnbs, and Navajo monuments that will bring the tourism industry deeper into the Navajo Nation.
Information from the Office of the Navajo Nation President
GRAND CANYON —Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren told tribal leaders that the Navajo Nation is ready to be a leader in tourism.
Nygren spoke at a tourism tribal roundtable at Grand Canyon National Park last week. The event was organized by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The purpose of the event was to discuss tribal job creation through new businesses and growing the tribal tourism economy.
“We have more than 4,000 Navajo businesses,” Nygren said. “Earlier this year we forgave 36 months worth of business site lease payments because we want to support our Navajo businesses as they come out of the two-year pandemic downturn.”
Nygren said most tour companies often cite the Grand Circle as the “ultimate Southwest road trip.” The highway route includes Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon in Page, Ariz., Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks in Utah, Moab, Utah, and back to Monument Valley.
But when looking at a map, these highly-visited sites that encircle the Navajo Nation often bypass those spectacular stops within the Navajo Nation such as Navajo National Monument, the Four Corners Monument, Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City, Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the geographic center of the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo capital of Window Rock, he said.
Once exposed, tourists love to experience Navajo culture, food and language to learn about the Navajo way of life and Navajo practices such as how to tie a hair bun, herd sheep, watch rug weaving, see silverwork created, and sample frybread and Navajo tacos, Nygren said.
According to “The Economic Impact of Travel in Arizona,” a report by Dean Runyan Associates of Portland, Ore., travel spending in Arizona increased 19.3% from $23.6 billion in 2021 to $28.1 billion in 2022.
The three primary sources of tax revenue generated by the travel industry are sales tax from visitor spending, taxes paid by travel industry businesses and taxes paid by travel industry employees attributable to travel-generated earnings.
Nygren said the Navajo Nation is properly poised to increase its share in this economy through partnerships recommended by Hobbs and the National Park Service.
Through partnerships with the state and tourism organizations and tour companies, he said, a strategy can be implemented to introduce tourists to the Navajo Nation, its people and rich history, while investing time and resources into Navajo small businesses, Navajo airbnbs, and Navajo monuments that will bring the tourism industry deeper into the Navajo Nation.
Information from the Office of the Navajo Nation President