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Journey with an open mind and gentle heart

Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter

Revere and protect the natural environment which sustains all life

Appreciate all cultures I discover

Respect and thank my hosts for their welcome

Offer my hand in friendship to everyone I meet

Support travel services that share these views and act upon them and,

By my spirit, words and actions, encourage others to travel the world in peace

International Institute for Peace Through Tourism

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Since last fall, staff of the Cooperative Development Center of New Mexico (CODECE) has been meeting with residents of Truchas to talk about creating several heritage and cultural tourism co-ops wholly-owned and operated by members of the Truchas Land Grant. Residents quickly came up with a name for their tourism co-op: High Peaks-Deep Roots.

CODECE tourism director Mark Willuhn and executive director Arturo Sandoval have met over coffee at kitchen tables, in backyards and in cozy living rooms with residents of Truchas and Córdova over the past several months to learn about local talents, to discuss the idea of cultural tourism and to encourage residents to join one of the co-ops.

CODECE has developed a three-pronged approach to reviving and sustaining traditional Hispano communities in northern NM. To create economic well-being, the center is focusing on affordable housing, organic farming, and heritage and cultural tourism. By employing these approaches, CODECE believes traditional Hispano communities can revive their culture, keep land and water rights intact, provide healthy food for a post-modernity world, and create housing that builds family wealth.

“We are using existing resources in a different way to ensure income levels that permit Hispano farmers and villagers to live well in a 21st century economy,” said CODECE Executive Director Arturo Sandoval. “By utilizing co-ops, CODECE is simply applying traditional communal models in place among Hispano villagers since the Spanish Colonial period. These models are community land grants and acequias—communal irrigation systems—with ancient governance structures developed over 10,000 years.”

Heritage and cultural tourism has developed more broadly outside of the U.S. For example, CODECE’s ecotourism director, Mark Willuhn, has worked in Central America and southern Mexico on ecotourism projects since the early 1990s. He is the founding director of the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance, based in Managua, Nicaragua. Willuhn said that the alliance works across seven countries with government tourism agencies, private tourism operators and indigenous communities in proximity to preserves and protected areas to develop ecotourism programs that benefit local peoples. “We are taking the successful model we have used in Central America and adapting it to Truchas. Eventually, we will roll this model out across northern NM, in other traditional land-based Hispano villages,” Willuhn said.

To ensure that sustainable tourism activities contribute to the conservation of the biological and cultural diversity of the Truchas Land Grant, a tourism development strategy methodology will be used with family members of land grant members in the communities of Truchas, Córdova and Chimayó. Willuhn said his is an adaptive and flexible methodology that allows unique attributes to be incorporated. Each community is in a different stage of development and most likely, each will have a different “driver” for the process. “The strategy is to build on existing successes in each community,” Willuhn said. “We will frame the Truchas Land Grant in the regional and international markets as a unique and interesting destination.”

The methodology is based on protected area management plans to ensure strengthening of conservation of protected areas. A visitor and public use plan is then implemented based on Recreational Opportunity Spectrum, Limits of Acceptable Change, and Tourism Value Chain, which then transitions to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) formation and linkage to market. A continual feedback mechanism of visitor impact, monitoring of social, biophysical, cultural, and administrative environments, and adaptive management strategies to enhance positive impacts and mitigate negative impacts is implemented for long-term sustainability.

Willuhn said this framework is based on first involving local stakeholders in consensus building; evaluating the tourism value chain for each product/destination/cluster; creating complementary products with each destination and each community; and then involving stakeholders on the regional level for an integrated strategy based on the strengths and unique and complementary experiences of each cluster or tourism hub.

Ultimately, he noted, Truchas Land Grant members will form a Destination Management Organization (DMO) comprised of the key stakeholders (local communities, private sector, Rio Arriba County, USDA, USFS, BLM etc.) that will guide sustainable tourism development over the long-term. The DMOs can also form working committees to support and implement tourism workforce and women development programs.

“The emphasis on the Tourism Value Chain analysis is to not only develop innovative and complementary products, but identify weaknesses in the supply chain and opportunities for new business ventures,” Willuhn said. “An opportunity exists in Truchas, for example, to explore value-added activities such as handicrafts or organic agriculture that enhance the overall visitor experience.”

The Truchas Land Grant communities were selected as a model site because of the 10,000-acre land grant, its proximity to the 233,000-acre Pecos Wilderness, the area’s history of weaving and woodcarving, and the persistence of traditional culture among its people. “We believe the people of Truchas and Córdova can make this project work extremely well,” Sandoval said. “What they achieve will then become a model for many other traditional communities in northern New Mexico.”

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Sustainable tourism creates economic growth in a manner that does not deplete the natural and built environment, while preserving the culture, history, heritage and arts of the local community.

CULTURAL TOURISM

Cultural tourism involves experiencing or having contact with the unique social fabric, heritage, and special character of places. It is an exchange of information on lifeways, customs, beliefs, values, language, views of the environment, and other cultural resources. The challenge in planning for cultural tourism is to ensure that the exchange takes place as equitably as possible, in a manner seen as appropriate by members of the host community.

CREATIVE TOURISM

Creative Tourism is tourism directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage or special character of a place. Creative tourism can be a powerful economic development tool for cities, provinces, states, and countries.

ECOTOURISM

Ecotourism is a form of “responsible travel” that offers an authentic, engaging and educational experiences to travelers who want an off-the-beaten-path adventure that connects them with natural beauty and indigenous traditions. For the local communities it provides a rewarding and sustainable business model and enterprise. Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people.

VOLUNTOURISM

Voluntourism is a form of ecotourism that is undertaken in support of things such as environmental restoration or to improve the well-being of a local community. People also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and for a variety of other reasons.

AGRITOURISM

Agricultural tourism is a commercial enterprise at a working farm, ranch or agricultural plant conducted for the enjoyment or education of visitors. This can include farm stands, farmers’ markets, U-pick, farm stays, tours, on-farm classes, fairs, festivals, pumpkin patches, orchard dinners, youth camps, barn dances, guest ranches and more. Agritourism is rapidly becoming a way to supplement farm income. NM has a special niche of combining agritourism with bio-cultural foods, Native American and Hispanic food events, traditional gardening demonstrations, and nature guiding.

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Creating sustainable tourism options in an era of shrinking resources can be viewed as an opportunity. Small-scale linked enterprises, resilient in times of economic fluctuation, support rural areas and traditional cultures, require smaller capital outlay, create a greater number of jobs, and are less expensive to promote. An effective tourism network in New Mexico could create a win/win collaboration between urban and rural communities, providing additional activities and itinerary possibilities. Tourism in rural areas has served as a vital economic resource for creating jobs, often the impetus for preserving rural towns and cultures. The question is, how to consciously incorporate tourism without negatively impacting a community.

Cultural tourism involves a visitor experiencing or having contact with the unique heritage and special character of a place. The exchange of information on lifeways, customs, beliefs, values, language, views of the environment, and other cultural resources is usually uneven. The challenge is to ensure as equitable an exchange takes place, in a manner seen as appropriate by members of the host community.

How can visitors become more conscious and respectful of local cultures? “Green” actions must come from travelers’ own cultural beliefs and growing awareness. Through visitor education, people can learn to make choices that have minimal negative impact and are supportive to local cultures, thus contributing to local sustainability. Learning from other cultures is a critical part of conscious visitation.

THE NICHE

Here is the opportunity for NM: while tourism volume and expenditures tend to be in a downturn nationally, international visitation to the U.S. is up nearly 10% and cultural tourism is rising due to current trends of visitors seeking educational and authentic experiences. These trends point to a market niche in NM with great potential for expansion. As Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship chairman Tom Aaegeson pointed out in a recent op-ed, culture is the attraction behind major parts of NM’s economy. Culture accounts for more than 15 percent of the workforce, up to 20 percent of our GDP and government tax revenues in many NM communities (about 5 times higher than in many U.S. cities). In Santa Fe, 38% of annual, new capital inflows are driven by the arts and cultural industries, along with related businesses.

Cultural tourism, of which creative tourism is a part, is the fastest growing tourism market segment in the U.S. One reason for increasing interest in cultural tourism is the trend of visitors evaluating carefully the return for their vacation dollar. National surveys indicate cultural tourists spend more, an average of $994 per trip compared to $611 in the overall tourism market. Shopping, seeking local cuisine, and tours are the categories of highest expenditures. Cultural tourists seek meaningful experiences and enjoy a sense of contributing to the retention of tradition. They also tend to be more respectful of local cultures and environments.

Who benefits and who pays? Growing this economic sector in a sustainable way involves rethinking scale, ownership and impacts. A focus on small-scale enterprises increases opportunities for local ownership. In NM, the traditional cultural business form is family-managed, generous, and based on the authentic experience. Working with cultural values is the foundation for authentic cultural tourism, supporting culturally-based livelihoods. Locally owned small enterprises are one way of reversing rural out-migration.

Tourism works on the basis of collaboration. Literally, the word tourism reflects the idea of a tour, or many stops on a larger itinerary. A visitor on vacation usually does not travel 1,000 miles or more to visit one attraction. (Festivals may be the exception.) Visitors typically planning a five to seven day vacation look for a series of interesting stops and need to know how to link them together. This is the most important, and most often overlooked principle to remember when planning tourism development.

A NEW PARADIGM

Larger-scale tourism, measured for success in terms of full-time jobs and tax revenues generated, does not provide the best cultural fit for NM since these indicators do not adequately address locally owned economy building and cultural retention. A win/win scenario can be created utilizing the interdependence between tourism and the wider rural economy by emphasizing:

1.Small-scale, linked enterprises

2.Cultural values as central

3.Strategies determined from within communities

4.Authentic experiences

5.Local job creation and ownership

6.Urban/ rural networks

7.Minimal environmental impacts

Urban areas, rather than perceiving themselves as destinations, hold potential as hubs, working in partnership with rural areas to provide referrals and basic services. This approach both enhances urban tourism and increases opportunity for rural areas. Itineraries linking urban and rural businesses, events and experiences are the key for expanding a range of tourism amenities and timing to reach the visitor at the time of vacation planning, prior to the visit.

AUTHENTICITY IS KEY

Cultural tourists are seeking a deeper level of meaning to the visitation experience, such as increased understanding of other cultures through learning experiences, purchasing locally made items and tours. There are many levels of authenticity possible, all holding promise for NM.

The authentic experience is complex to understand and maintain as culture is recreated or represented. Museums can show authentic representation, with authenticity highly dependent upon the degree to which public participation includes an interpretive view of local cultures. When galleries represent art, the extent to which they also present information about the art and the artist, increases the interests of cultural tourists. The recreated or re-enacted cultural setting, such as El Rancho de Las Golondrinas (www.golondrinas.org), a Spanish colonial living history site south of Santa Fe, is an example of authentic representation. Festivals and markets offer other ways to give the visitor a glimpse of local culture without large-scale intrusion to urban neighborhoods and small communities.

Visiting living cultures is another level of authenticity. When communities share with the public their efforts for cultural renewal, such as at Ganados del Valle in Los Ojos (a traditional Hispanic village) or the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum (Pueblo of Pojoaque, www.poehmuseum.com), visitors become excited to see traditions revitalized and enjoy the sense of contributing to organizations that teach time-honored traditions. Community capability to provide information is essential for increasing positive community benefits and decreasing negative impacts to culture and environment.

Attraction to the beauty of the land is an intersection between cultural and eco- or nature tourism. NM offers spectacular landscapes tied to cultural meaning, unique color palettes, and history. Displacement of local people due to visitors “moving in” is a constant issue in NM tourism. Educating visitors as to the cultural impacts caused by in-migration, in a friendly way, can enhance a visitor’s respect for local land retention needs.

One dilemma facing communities relates to how much tourism is possible without eroding authenticity. The answer rests with managing tourism, or guiding tourists to specific places, providing targeted activities for them, providing ways to protect cultural privacy for internal community activities, educating them to be respectful of cultures and the land, and valuing their participation.

The unique appeal of NM is the full range of authentic cultural and ecotourism experiences available. Balancing protection of these experiences, while generating the economic resources to support traditional practices and employment is essential through wise planning and development.

SUPPORT SERVICES NEEDED

The mindful visitor is respectful and appreciative of local cultures. Communities must educate, both pre-visitation via the internet and with print materials available locally to increase visitor awareness. It is essential to develop information on the art or product and the maker. In my work with communities, we cultivate visitor etiquettes as a part of visitor guides, explain traditional arts and work with artists to develop bio-cards explaining their work and their interpretation as artists. Information for the visitor increases respect for cultural aspects of the artwork, increases a fair monetary exchange, and decreases commodification, or seeing traditional artwork as objects without cultural meaning.

What other support services will bring about a shift to small-scale, locally owned enterprises? The entrepreneurial level, rather than the Small Business Development Administration’s definition of small business, increases employment opportunities. Training needs to be developed to reflect local values, rather than using the conventional corporate model presented in textbooks. Each culture has its own traditional hospitality that needs to be identified and translated into an appropriate contemporary form. Business management training must be adapted to a smaller-scale. Customer service based on cultural values motivates local people to engage with service and to derive more satisfaction from interaction with visitors.

Itinerary development is crucial for urban/rural networks to develop. An itinerary-building web-based tool at the State level would enable visitors to design a unique experience, if a broad range of urban/rural and small-scale/larger scale businesses are allowed to participate.

SUSTAINABILITY FACTORS

Small-scale development from within communities encourages sustainable tourism, meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Constant re-assessment of tourism development according to local values and ties to cultural landscapes is central to sustainable management practices.

A paradigm shift toward sustainable tourism not only requires a new method of development; it also requires a shift within travelers themselves regarding beliefs and consumption patterns. Putting attention on the value of local purchasing may allow visitors to take that perspective back to their communities and to become more conscious consumers and community members.

Increasing the range of experiences possible through sustainable practices encourages repeat visitation by informed visitors, a mainstay characteristic of NM tourism.

Susan Guyette, Ph.D. is Métis (Micmac Indian and Acadian French) and a planner (owner of Santa Fe Planning & Research) specializing in cultural centers, cultural tourism and native foods. She is the co-author of Zen Birding (www.zenbirding.com) and the author of Planning for Balanced Development.

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As we examine the tremendous progress our planet has witnessed, we see that much of it has been positive. Our technology has produced improved communication and transportation systems that have helped unite the world. In fact, tourism has become a major force in our international economies, lifestyles and understanding of cultural diversity.

With global interdependence on the rise, tourism continues to flourish at an ever-increasing rate. The good news? Tourism, with 11 percent of our planet’s gross product, is the world’s largest industry. What if international tourism, travel and destination were harnessed for both personal and global sustainability? We could very well witness an unstoppable rising tide of consciousness to heal ourselves, the global community and the planet. Perhaps sustainable tourism and development, when brought into the light of a sacred global consciousness, are “the hundredth monkey” we have been seeking to turn our world around.

Of course the current state of our planet presents many challenges that directly impact the future state of humanity. Crumbling economic foundations, political turmoil, critical environmental issues and moral and ethical dilemmas are now inescapable realities. The legacies of shortsighted business strategies and sacrifices to the pressures of immediate returns on investment and fiscal greed have contributed to the chemical and toxic pollution of our world, the erosion of corporate ethics and values, the Greenhouse effect and even the failure of our banking and financial institutions.

As the international tourism, travel and the hospitality industry are empowered to act on this dynamic wave of global consciousness towards sustainability, worldwide peace, and the management of our tourist experience as an event of deep meaning; stockholders, executives and employees will be encouraged to honor the diversity that inherently exists within the international travel industry.

Hoteliers, especially here in Santa Fe, enjoy a unique opportunity to not only build cross-cultural bridges, but to design innovative management systems and training programs that enhance intercultural effectiveness. It is this values-based management philosophy that supports the tourist as well as the staff through programs, education and experiences that further empower the organizations to navigate the treacherous channels of international diplomacy.

Living today in a post-industrial society dominated by individualism, competition and non-ecological lifestyles, we may find it difficult to envision a rekindling of the spirit of interconnectedness among the world’s people and their environments. The historical fact that such traditions and scientific methodologies exist may guide us in reformulating an approach to sustainable development.

Chichen Itza was the result of geomantic thinking. So, too, were the pueblos and cliff houses of the southwestern United States, the Gothic cathedrals of Europe and the Imperial Palace of Beijing. It was indeed the Native Americans who formalized this concept over time, looking at everything in terms of its impact upon seven future generations. Now we too must think in terms of longevity, of harmony with nature and the community, of sustainability.

Yet we must also consider that ancient civilizations lived in relative isolation and enjoyed essentially similar experiences while our modern world is comprised primarily of pluralistic societies. Our modern societies are largely forced into cohabitation and often collide with one another. The resulting pressures and tensions can generate ill will among ethnically diverse groups and often lead to ineffective interaction.

International hotels and resorts are microcosms of the world community. They naturally exist as living patterns of relationships between individuals, families, friends, institutions and governmental agencies in response to their environs. When this environment has been holistically developed and nurtured, guests become aware of their own global connectedness, global inequalities, and learn to recognize themselves as world citizens.

We can choose to double, triple, quintuple the pace of development in the name of new destinations, but we compromise our sense of well-being, environmental balance, and long term financial viability in the process. It is the ultimate goal of sustainable development working hand in hand with sustainable tourism to pass on a legacy of harmony and accord between all of the peoples of the world and their environments to future generations.

First off this requires that a developer demonstrate a sense of respect and appreciation for a host culture by contributing to its cultural retention through monetary donations and by purchasing directly from local businesses when possible. Too often the problem with cultural tourism is that the profit mostly goes to large companies. Contributing to the sustainability of the cultures visited is important.

When properly used, advanced technology permits us to build structures that heal, comfort, and inspire with great ease. The developer’s integral planning process will consider landscape, air quality, “green” building materials, lighting, sound, color and interior design. These elements can be incorporated into appropriate architecture that creates a timeless sense of place and enforces well-being. Restaurants within hospitality establishments can cater to guest preferences and compliment their lifestyles by serving regional organic foods and free-range game and fish that are indigenous to the region.

Tourism, travel and the hospitality industry have the potential to significantly impact the realization of responsible, heedful development and sustainability. International developers, hoteliers and even ourselves, as tourists, should therefore be urged to honor the principles of land stewardship and cultural integration. It can create continued economic profitability as it facilitates world peace and invites cultural diversity into our lives.

The ultimate paradigm shift within our world’s largest industry will not only help sustain our communities, cultures, resources, and environments, and further renew our commitment to genuinely care about one another, our tourists, and the impacts of our travel destinations. It can also open the door to a much deeper need – the need for a sustainable humanity.

Robert Zimmer is CEO of the Zimmer Group, a world-renowned sustainable design firm. He is also co-founder of Inspiritu Destinations, LLC, which is developing a global network of sustainable sanctuary communities and wellness centers. www.zimmerassociates.com, E-mail: rzimmer@zai-us.com

Alex Giorgio, CEO of TypeE Technologies, is a practicing psychotherapist, author and consultant who teaches leading entrepreneurs, entertainers and CEOs how to fly by the “seat of their hearts.” He is also a principal of Inspiritu Destinations, LLC. E-mail: alex@TypeE.com.

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Camilla Bustamante

The economic and fiscal impact of tourism in New Mexico has long been understood to bring sufficient spending and cash flow activity to be a leading driver in the state economy. Rich with attractions such as White Sands, national forests, and unique cultures, there is much to visit. Economic impact is measured by the flow of spending, including revenues from sales, taxes, income to industry benefactors, and jobs created as a result of the industry. Fiscal impact is the measure of the use of tourism revenue by government to provide infrastructure and support, and includes evaluation of the cost for such activities. A financial analysis provides information as to whether or not a profit can be made from such activities, which in the case of eco- and cultural tourism must be run through the filter of who is making the profit, and what is the cost to ecology and culture.

I suggest that effort is necessary to avoid adverse impact to either. To participate as a visitor in the natural environments one must be cognizant of one’s behavior and live within the laws of nature in order to avoid adverse impact. The same is true with regard to culture; respect and permission are part of the formula for ensuring an authentic experience for the visitor while allowing for the dignity of people. Economists and planners often use a benefit/cost analysis with the environmental impact analysis to determine the actual benefit of such activities. In the case of cultural tourism it is imperative that those from within the culture define access and control the message conveyed to the tourist.

For me, returning home after a decade of being an out-of-state student was a raw experience that required much introspection and readjustment. Santa Fe and northern NM had changed dramatically. The plaza was no longer a place where I could meet up with family and friends shopping for school clothes, picking up a prescription, or bellying up to an ice cream counter at a five-and dime. Though there was still ice cream available on the plaza, it was now a national chain, good and popular none-the-less. Galleries replaced access to family value clothing stores, home appliance stores, and the place where my first bicycle was purchased. Faces were unfamiliar. Visitors in t-shirts and short pants took pictures of the cathedral while parishioners lined up in procession for weddings, funerals, or traditional events. Activities held sacred were on display and exhibit for those whose money supported the local economy so that traditional craftsmen and women could exchange function for craft. This scenario was painful and yet somehow necessary.

The same year of my return I experienced a sense of similar loss when I realized that there were fewer fruit stands on the drive to my dad’s place in Vadito – I was disappointed and confused that many local stands were either vacant or selling a mix of fruit and commercial goods – something had changed. Soon it became apparent to me that change was represented by grotesque commercialization of Santa Fe products made in China and pretentious adobe-looking facades. It fueled a resentment for the howling coyote that, everywhere else, defined what I had known to be home. Decades of Wild West persona culminated – synthetic Santa Fe style had arrived.

Much like arguments regarding the value of zoos, cultural tourism can advance educational and preservationist efforts. Also, consider the opportunities for cultural tourism to provide a digestible version of place and the impacts of revisionist history that tell and retell a single perspective of who people are. Stories from tourism of the 19th and 20th centuries have been predominantly communicated through the lens of the acts of violence rather than the day-to-day activities that required sharing and cooperation in order to nurture communities and family throughout the upper Rio Grande.

Many people visit NM to observe the unique nature of people and place and the ancient traditions and cultures. Notably, there are centuries of practices that involve sharing between Native American, Hispano, and multitudes of other cultures in the areas of agriculture, food preservation and preparation, ceremonial tradition, and more frequently than admitted, bloodlines.

In the interest of cultural or heritage preservation, many traditional practices exceed written custom. For those who continue to practice these traditions “cultural preservation” is an awkward and possibly insulting concept. The notion of “preservation” instills the view of an impending threat – something to be protected from something else. From this perspective, an opportunity to a visitor, there is a notion that the West is yet to be tamed. Though there is always room for growth, taming shouldn’t involve changes to the hundreds of years of sustainable practices that still provide good lessons for living sustainably. Thus far, tourism has provided an opportunity for skimming the elements of culture, and over the past century has often painted a superficial understanding of the people, their values and the traditions of the northern Rio Grande. Still early in this new century there continues to be room for more respect and permission when encroaching within the bounds of an indigenous community’s physical and cultural space.

Though there have been times when I have considered such spectacle patronizing, there is room and evidence in the value of appreciating the economic impact of tourism. Tourist dollars provide monetary value for artisan goods. Cultural tourism allows for a monetary exchange to traditional people for providing access to customs and identity. The authenticity of such exchange is richer, in all respects, when access is defined by those most impacted, and respect and permission are inclusive in the benefit/cost analysis.

Camilla Bustamante, PhD. MPH is Dean of Community, Workforce and CTE at Northern New Mexico College and is a Board Member of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

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Seth Roffman

If you consider yourself a seasoned globe-trekker, the word “ecotourism” should conjure images of adventures in exotic destinations like the rain- and cloud forests of Costa Rica or the Mayan ruins of the jungles of the Yucatan. Maybe you’ve explored the Amazon Basin, trekked in the Himalayas, or have been on an African Safari. Or, if you are like most “armchair” ecotourists, you haven’t been to these places yet, but would love to go, someday. Maybe you haven’t thought about New Mexico as an ecotourism destination. Maybe you should think again…

In 2009, the NM Tourism Department (NMTD) launched the first state Ecotourism Division in the country in an attempt to lure the domestic green traveler as well as the discerning international ecotourist. The vision was to unite the different sectors of the tourism industry in order to offer visitors authentic cultural experiences and life-changing journeys into NM’s pristine wilderness. Web surfers can visit the NMTD’s growing ecotourism site at www.newmexico.org/ecotourism.

The initiative was the brainchild of Jennifer Hobson, then Deputy Secretary of Tourism for NM. “Ecotourism is a driving force for the promotion and preservation of NM’s rich cultural heritage and adventures in the wild,” says Hobson, who has since moved into the private sector. “Through our efforts, I have witnessed local outfitters and guides increase their bookings with the kind of visitors that stay longer and spend more money. This is the one of the high potential futures of tourism in the Land of Enchantment, and it has only just started.”

The NMTD contracted with a Santa Fe company, EcoNew Mexico, LLC (www.eco-newmexico.com), to design and implement a comprehensive ecotourism program. Eco-NM was selected because of their work developing ecotourism opportunities in African and Australian communities. The company assembled a team of experts and traveled the state educating local communities on the benefits of sustainable travel. “Ecotourism offers rural NM communities an opportunity to create sustainable economic development in a model that respects the land and honors local cultures and their traditions, said Eco-NM’s Sandy Cunningham, who was recently ranked among the top travel agents in the world by Travel and Leisure.

Ecotourism is based on a set of principles, values, and a standard of operating practices that include low-impact, responsible travel to natural areas and cultural sites, educational experiences, maximizing the involvement and economic benefits to local communities, and including a way for guests to contribute to the conservation of the areas they visit. Workshops were held throughout the state in Taos, Silver City and Chama. Communities and business owners were encouraged to take an inventory of their regional ecotourism assets, from outstanding natural areas to exceptional cultural sites and activities, to recreational opportunities – in an attempt to create regional, statewide ecotourism hubs that showcase NM’s diverse wilderness environments and traditional cultures. Reducing negative impacts to rural and wild areas take planning and tourism management to meet sustainable criteria.

Taos Ecotourism Project

In 2010, the NMTD selected the Taos Region and the Gila Wilderness as the two state Ecotourism Pilot Projects. Taos was chosen because of its rural location, immediate access to traditional Pueblo and Hispanic cultural sites, activities and experiences, it’s proximity to outstanding natural areas with opportunities for wildlife viewing and inspiring solitude, and an array of unique, interpretive outdoor adventures into NM’s pristine wilderness areas.

Taos was progressive enough as a community to embrace the spirit of the state’s initiative and run with the opportunity. Many Taos tourism operators and local business had already been employing ecotourism and green business practices for many years. The NMTD initiative worked as a catalyst to bring local business owners and ecotourism operators together to redefine adventure and cultural tourism in northern NM.

“The greatest benefit of this program has been all the networking and new business relationships that have developed,” says Stuart Wilde, regional ecotourism coordinator and owner of Wild Earth Llama Adventures. “In Taos, we’ve seen a “ripple effect” that has branched out into the community as a whole, encouraging local business to “green-up,” and generating new opportunities for sustainable economic development.”

The Taos Ecotourism Project (www.Eco-Taos.com, or toll-free 1.855.ECO.TAOS) is a collaboration between local outfitters and guides, lodging/dining establishments, spa/wellness facilities, and conservation organizations that have partnered to offer a variety of fixed and customized eco-itineraries for both the domestic and international ecotraveler. These eco-vacation packages include a conservancy fee where 5% of the total package goes to support local conservation and cultural preservation efforts such as Senator Bingaman’s proposed 235,000-acre Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area and the permanent protection of the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Study Area. “If there is not a way for guests to directly contribute to the protection of the areas they visit and to better the community, it’s not real ecotourism,” says Wilde.

The group has put together a collection of 5, 7, and 9-day itineraries built around a core wilderness adventure like 3 days of whitewater rafting down the Rio Chama, or trekking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with a team of eco-friendly pack llamas. “We feel that at the heart of any ecotourism experience is a multi-day wilderness trip where the guest can reconnect with nature and recharge their batteries,” says Cisco Guevara of Los Rios River Runners, NM’s oldest rafting company (losriosriverrunners.com).

“What’s great about these eco-trips is that they provide stellar experiences packed full of real discoveries in culture and the outdoors,” says Jamie Tedesco, marketing director for the Historic Taos Inn (www.taosinn.com). “Given the tricky economic times we are in, this is precisely the kind of new marketing niche that will continue to fill up rooms in boutique hotels and inns.” The Taos Inn works with the Red Willow Farm Project at Taos Pueblo in a “Farm to Table” sustainable agriculture program that provides locally grown produce for the inn’s Doc Martin’s Restaurant.

The Ecotourism Project’s itineraries also include visits to northern NM cultural sites and private tours of Taos Pueblo (www.taospueblo.com) and Puye Cliff Dwellings (www.puyecliffs.com) with Native American guides. “The cultural component of ecotourism is critical, and we are thrilled that the Pueblos have been receptive to participating in this program,” says Jamie Schultze, owner of the Bavarian Lodge at Taos Ski Valley. “No visit to Taos is complete without a visit to Taos Pueblo.” Taos Pueblo is arguably the oldest continuously inhabited dwelling – and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in North America.

Once visitors have ventured out in the NM outdoors and experienced our rich multi-cultural history, what better way to finish off an eco-vacation, than to soak in natural hot springs and enjoy a massage or spa treatment? “These ancient waters have been a gathering place and source of healing for centuries,” says Wendi Gelfound, marketing director at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa (www.ojospa.com).

Packages also include hot air balloon flights over the Rio Grande Gorge, technical rock climbing with instruction, guided fly fishing trips, and mountain biking, with visits to cultural sites such as Bandelier National Monument and the Valles Caldera National Preserve (www.vallescaldera.gov).

Adventure travel has consistently been one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Last year, NM tourism dollars accounted for more than $6 billion in spending, and generated more than $764 million in tax revenue for the state. Tourism is the second largest industry in NM, next to Big Oil and Gas. For every dollar spent on tourism in here, forty in generated in revenue. It is the biggest bang for our buck, in terms of bringing money into the state, which eventually finds it’s way to many NM small businesses; from local merchants and artists, to dining and lodging establishments, to outdoor recreation providers.

Ecotourism overlaps with cultural tourism, holding potential for small-scale, rural enterprises. For example, when tour guides are local, the sense of place and cultural histories enrich authenticity of the experience. Put simply, the “local guide” knows where the interesting referrals are, growing a network of potential jobs. This direction in tourism inspires cultural learning of traditional arts and cuisines, stories, local history, increased growing of food specific to NM cuisine, and knowledge of special places. Local job creation is not only important economically; it also enables youth of rural traditional cultures to stay on their land and not out-migrate to urban areas – a trend that furthers cultural loss. With planning, technical assistance and careful evaluation of sustainability factors, ecotourism in NM has great potential to expand as a green industry.

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Within the past three decades, many New Mexico tribes have made big strides in developing sustainable tourism on their lands and have garnered a reputation for NM as a national leader in tribal tourism. The first tribal tourism association and tribal visitor’s guide were developed here, inspiring tribes across the country.

All 22 tribes in NM continue to hold their land base, languages, cultures and traditions, and are committed to telling their own story in their own words. “New Mexico is one of the few places in the United States where tribes weren’t disenfranchised and sent to another region,” said Chris Cordova, President of CRC & Associates, an Albuquerque-based research firm. “In many cases, their societies never fell apart. They stayed here, and being agrarian societies, the people are tied to the land.” Long-term stability and a strong sense of place enhance the cohesion and collaboration that strengthens tribal tourism in New Mexico.

Former Indian Tourism Program Manager/Development Division Director for the NM Tourism Department, Travis Suazo, says that tribal sovereignty has been an essential ingredient in tribal sustainability. “Throughout the hundreds of years of changes of reign in this region by Mexico, Spain and the U.S., the sovereignty of the pueblos has been recognized and maintained by all of those governments.” Suazo (Laguna/Acoma/Taos) is currently heading up a project to be launched at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) in Albuquerque titled, “100 Years of State & Federal Policies: The Impact on Pueblo Nations.”

Ron Solimon, President and CEO of the IPCC noted that tourism is the second largest employer and revenue generator in NM. “Deep investments by the tribes in capital projects have benefited surrounding communities and have created a multiplier effect on the economy in the state as a whole,” he said. According to a story in the NM Business Weekly, Indian casinos paid $62.2 million to the state in 2009.

The Inn of the Mountain Gods, owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe in southern NM, under the leadership of former President Wendall Chino, opened the first tribally owned resort in the country in 1975. Destination resort/casino developments such as Route 66 Casino (Laguna) Hardrock Casino (Isleta) Buffalo Thunder Resort (Pojoaque) and Tamaya (Santa Ana) have provided jobs in marketing, design, architecture, construction, law, accounting and technology.

There are varying opinions on the impacts of casinos. According to Hayes Lewis (Zuni) in the book Creative Tourism – A Global Conversation (Sunstone Press), “Casino gaming…has not benefited all who have chosen this path. Many tribes are now strapped with unanticipated human, social, and cultural costs on top of the price of doing business…while the scale of the carbon footprint and environmental damage has become larger… Artisans, craftsmen, farmers and tribal members gain strength from cultural enterprises of a smaller scale that are linked to spirituality, ecology, culture, and the sacredness of place and space.”

There are now a number of tribally owned destination resorts in central and northern NM that, in addition to offering golf, recreation, spas, convention facilities, art, and regional cuisine, also offer various forms of an “authentic experience.” Of course, while sacred spaces within tribal communities are off limits and need protection from curious outsiders, according to Suazo, the future of tribal tourism should always “remain authentic to our cultures and traditions and share that in a respectful manner with all visitors.”

Tribal-State Relations

New Mexico was the first state to have a Native American liaison for tourism between the tribes and the state. The “Indian Tourism” desk within the Tourism Department was first occupied in the late 90’s by former Santa Clara Pueblo Governor Calvin Tafoya. His successor during the Gary Johnson era was Lorentino Lalio (Zuni). Travis Suazo was Bill Richardson’s pick. The position, however, was abolished this year by New Mexico’s new governor, Susanna Martinez.

There are a number of existing tribal consortiums such as the IPCC, the NM Indian Tourism Association, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, and the All Indian Pueblos Council, that were formed by necessity for political, cultural and economic initiatives. These consortiums have facilitated cooperation among the tribes and have been important to tourism development.

A first for Indian Tourism occurred recently with the appointment of Ron Solimon to the U.S. Travel Association’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Solimon had been nominated by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau. Native Americans now have a voice at the regional and national tourism tables.

Solimon also sits on the board of directors of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (www.aianta.org). AIANTA is a nonprofit organization made up of member tribes from six regions: Eastern, Plains, Midwest, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. The association serves as the voice and resource for its constituents in marketing tourism, providing training and educational resources to tribal members, and serves as the liaison between Indian Country and governmental and private entities for the development of Indian Country tourism.

AIANTA chose to locate its national headquarters in Albuquerque at the IPCC. Executive Director Rebecca Martinez says that the decision was influenced by the large Native American populations in the state and throughout the region.

The past 30 years growing NM’s Indian Tourism has not been without challenges. Besides national economic trends that affect travel such as fuel prices, other obstacles could arise, according to Travis Suazo. “If tribal funding sources such as gaming that support the tribal cultural centers, museums and historic sites were restricted, the ability to deliver tourism services would be impacted.”

“We’ve been welcoming visitors to our lands long before Europeans stepped foot on this continent,” said Suazo “Native people have been traveling in and out of their homelands to trade, barter, visit and engage in commerce for who knows how long. Take the macaw parrot feathers that we use in ceremonies being brought up on that commerce trail from South America, or our unique gems finding their way from trails to and from the West Coast. That’s sustainability.”

Tazbah McCullah (Navajo) holds a BA in journalism from the UNM. For the past 9 years she has served as marketing director for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Inc. and Indian Pueblos Marketing, Inc. www.indianpueblo.org

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Mae Colburn and Carol Cooper

Textiles: we sleep between them, wear them next to our skin, drape them over tables, lay them on the floor, and hang them from curtain rods. We live in, on, and around textiles, but seldom question their origin. The New Mexico Fiber Arts Trails, a creative sector entrepreneurship and cultural tourism initiative developed by New Mexico Arts (a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs), help to chronicle the textile supply chain. The guidebook features three trails, or proposed itineraries, and over sixty fiber arts enterprises, including farms, ranches, workshops, artist studios, galleries, and training centers – all in rural areas outside of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Available online and at tourist destinations throughout the state, the guide invites visitors – and locals – to explore and support the artists and communities that form the fabric of rural NM.

The guide harkens back to New Mexico: A Guide to the Colorful State, the classic NM touring guide first published in 1940 as part of the Work Projects Administration’s (WPA) American Guide Series. Like the NM Fiber Arts Trails, the American Guide Series targeted the “remotest corners of America,” and aimed to assure “maximum employment among all sectors of society,” encouraging a “sense of independence” among involved communities.1 The WPA guide was developed in response to the Depression; the Trails just preceded the recent economic downturn. Both hinge upon the idea that the economic health of a region is contingent upon visitors’ support of local enterprises. Yet while the WPA guide introduces visitors to the state at large, the NM Fiber Arts Trails focus on rural regions and the arts (areas and sectors among the hardest hit during the recent economic slump), with the goal of sustaining the arts in rural regions, and sustaining rural regions through the arts.

Weaving refers to the systematic interlacing of warp and weft, embroidery to decorative stitching on a piece of fabric, and spinning to the careful drawing out and twisting of fiber into a continuous strand. These techniques also possess metaphorical value. We ‘spin’ tales, ‘weave’ plots, and ‘embroider’ narratives – storytelling is the common thread. Textiles are thus equated with human narratives, and textile production with the ‘fabric of life.’

Artful practitioners of these techniques, and many more, are featured as part of the NM Fiber Arts Trails guide. The following examples – weaving at the Tres Manos Workshop south of Las Cruces, Beatrice Maestas Sandoval’s prizewinning colcha embroidery at the Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center, and the work of the Ramah Navajo Weavers Association – showcase the diversity of communities and art forms represented in the Trails guide and reveal how textiles shape the social and economic narratives of featured artisans and communities.

Work your way south from Albuquerque on I-25, through Socorro and Truth or Consequences, past the cotton and chile fields south of Las Cruces, until you reach the Tres Manos Workshop in the village of San Miguel. The workshop features contemporary handwoven scarves, shawls, and jackets, each carefully designed and executed by a member of the Tres Manos weavers – and named according to color and fiber type: ‘Summer Daisies,’ ‘Snow White,’ ‘Rose Mallow,’ and ‘Blue Flax,’ among others. The workshop, which was conceived by the Community Action Agency of Southern NM, aims to help women of the colonias achieve sustainable self-employment through sales of their handwoven goods. Participants are trained in personal and business skills, and of course in the fine points of weaving, which serves as both an outlet for creative expression and a means to economic stability.

Travel north on Highway 84/285 to the Enchanted Fiber Gallery at the Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center, a hub for fiber artists across northern NM and beyond, to see the work of colcha embroiderer Beatrice Maestas Sandoval (or sign up to take a class from the master herself). Colcha was brought to NM and Southern Colorado by Spanish settlers, who carried with them embroidered finery as well as the needles and yarn with which to make it. Sandoval spins and dyes her own yarn before weaving it into sabanilla, or loosely-woven wool cloth (the traditional canvas for colcha) and hand spins her embroidery thread, which she colors with natural dyes: indigo blue, cochineal red, and avocado pit peach. The recipient of numerous awards, Sandoval’s work represents technical mastery and a profound reverence for Spanish traditional arts.

Head west on I-40 and south from Grants into ponderosa country to visit the Ramah Navajo Weavers Association at Pine Hill, NM. On site is their hogan, the eight-sided Navajo home. Traditionally, weavers created one-of-a-kind Navajo rugs in their own hogans. The Ramah Navajo weavers use locally raised, sheared, washed, handspun and naturally dyed wool from the rare Navajo Churro sheep which the Association reestablished in weavers’ flocks in the early 1990s. Their deft hands evince centuries of experience and local wisdom, and the weavers use time-honored processes that have become integral elements of Diné identity.

The arts trails grow businesses through cultural tourism. Visitors to these sites invest not only in local artisans and their work; they invest in the local materials, knowledge, and traditions that make each purchase possible. A tag on a commercially made wool sweater might indicate where it was assembled, but not necessarily where the wool was grown, processed, dyed, knit, and cut. Certain organizations, such as Historic Futures and Sourcemap, are attempting to mend this situation with supply-chain traceability software. Patagonia has used Historic Futures software – aptly known as String – to trace the circuitous routes taken by a number of their products in an initiative they call the “Footprint Chronicles.” Customers can click through a series of maps, images, and testimonials, tracing each item from “design to delivery.” This and similar initiatives are, without a doubt, responses to a general shift toward informed consumption and a growing consumer preference for authentic local goods, but ‘local’ is where large national and multinational organizations run into difficulty. There simply isn’t a way, on a national or multinational scale, to replicate authentic local goods. The NM Fiber Arts Trails bring visitors to the ‘sourcepoint,’ generating income while inherently creating an informed consumer base, and cultivating a sustainable place-based economy.

Visit www.nmfiberarts.org or www.nmarts.org to download a PDF of the NM Fiber Arts Trails guide or brochure. Call 505.827.6490, or in-state 1.800.879.4278 to request a copy by mail.

1 Writer’s Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of NM. The WPA Guide to 1930s New Mexico.  Ed. Marc Simmons. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1989.

Mae Colburn is an independent textile researcher and writer, currently interning with the NM Fiber Arts Trails program at NM Arts.

Carol Cooper is the project manager for the NM Fiber Arts Trails at New Mexico Arts. As a grant coordinator, she works with community-based arts enterprises and creative economic development partnerships throughout NM.

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