"Rob McDonald remembers a German tourist couple who arrived on the Flathead Reservation in search of a powwow.
The man appeared visibly frustrated after McDonald, a spokesman for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, told the couple they just missed the powwow by a few weeks.
For the hundreds of thousands of overseas travelers who visited tribal communities around the United States in 2006, powwows have long been a favorite attraction - but even powwows fall behind tourists' top demands once they arrive in a tribal community.
They want to shop, dine and visit a national park - in that order - according to a U.S. Commerce Department, International Trade Administration survey.
Tribes across the country have had to consider how they want to address tourism. In western Montana, the Flathead and Blackfeet reservations are located within and surrounded by majestic mountains and sparkling rivers and lakes. And both have casinos.
But their approach to tourism reflects a national trend. The majority of tribes haven't made tourism a priority, while some have decided to make their homelands a destination place."
Get the Story:Powwows a favorite of overseas visitors (The Missoulian 12/1) Relevant Links:
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