Tourism Good or Bad for La Push Reservation?
July 7, 2009 by Sara
Filed under Interviews, News
The NY Post has a new article detailing the mixed feelings in Forks, WA and La Push concerning the influx of visitors due to Twilight Tourism in the area.
Locals marvel at how much she got right, but the economically depressed reservation is ambivalent about “Twilight” and how its 350 residents should capitalize on it. Compared to Forks, where visitors can pose with Bella’s truck and participate in a “Twilight” look-alike contest, the reservation is cloaked in centuries-old anonymity
“There are mixed feelings,” says tribal council member Anna Rose Counsell. Over the last three months, the tribe has struggled over what to do. “This is a phenomenon that is happening whether we like it or not.”
Tribal leaders hired a p.r. pro, Jackie Jacobs, in February after being inundated with “Twilight” inquiries. The tribe opened its Wednesday night drum circle to all visitors, which recently included two families of “Twilight” fans.
At the tribe-owned Oceanside Resort, director Renee Rux says business is up 30 percent, thanks to “Twilight.” “It’s been huge for us,” Rux says. The resort recently partnered with a charter boat company to offer “Twilight” tour packages for $250.
At the moment, the shop stocks few “Twilight” souvenirs, including hand-knit hats emblazoned with “Bella,” “Jacob” and “Edward.” Another holds $8 bottles of sand, labeled “Jacob’s Treasure.”
Rux, a non-native, retrained the staff to reach out to visitors. “That’s the paradigm shift,” she says. “People [now] want that experience of being with the Quileute.”
“This is our opportunity to educate people on Quileute history,” Counsell says.
Read the entire article over at the NY Post.
