Native Corporations tackle eco-tourism: villages create culturally appropriate visitor opportunities.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: NATIVE BUSINESS

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When Huna Totem Corp. decided to invest in Alaska's tourism industry, purchasing and renovating the historical cannery in Hoonah that had once been the leading producer of canned salmon in the state, the Alaska Native-owned village corporation was looking for ways to provide jobs and dividends for its 1,300 shareholders who have aboriginal ties to this Southeast village. The fishing fleet there was down to three boats and the declining timber market caused the local logging company to reduce its work force from 200 to 80 people by the mid-1990s.

Tourism seemed a logical direction for what had been a resource-based economy, but when HTC conducted studies on what to do with the cannery, the community clearly said it did not want tourism, Bob Wysocki, the village corporation's CEO says. They had seen how communities such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan had become overrun with visitors, and they did not want social and cultural changes for the sake of growth.

When the corporation came up with an approach that would minimize the impact of the tourism industry on Hoonah, however, the community and shareholders jumped onboard--literally. Rather than having cruise ships dock in Hoonah itself, the cannery was modified so that it is a self-contained destination and port of call, called Icy Strait Point. Instead of cruise ship visitors disembarking in the community, ships anchor offshore and visitors are transported via lightering boats into a wooded area that includes the restored cannery, a Native cultural center with a Tlingit dance troupe, whale- and bear-watching tours and gift shops.

Everything from food and beverage operations and retail outlets to the water, power and sewer infrastructure is included in the self-contained development, Wysocki explains. Located 1.5 miles from the town of about 900 people, this means that while the money stays in the local economy--90 percent of the employees are from the community and 85 percent of those are Alaska Natives, including HTC shareholders--Hoonah is removed from the focus of impact.

To say the development made a big impact on the economy is an understatement, Wysocki says. ISP is responsible for bringing in an entirely new industry that did not exist before. It brought several hundred construction jobs in for direct and indirect employment, air travel and highway traffic increased, as did purchasing of local goods and services. Since the first ship pulled into port in the summer of 2004, 225 vessels have visited, delivering more than 1 million visitors. With one ship arriving three to five days a week, Wysocki says, just about anyone who wants a job in the community can have one if they are eligible for hire. Not only does the development preserve the culture, there is not another tourism project in Alaska that has been able to provide so many shareholder jobs in its community--people can work while remaining in their hometown and continuing to live a subsistence...