July 28, 2008

Cherokee Reservation a hotspot for international tourists

The Asheville Citizen-Times recently published an article about the popularity of Cherokee, NC among foreign travelers. According to the article, there were about 358,000 international travelers visiting North Carolina in 2007, many to visit and learn more about the Cherokee culture.

The article largely discusses the fact that many Germans in particular are drawn to the Southeast, wanting to know more about authentic American Indian culture. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians is aware of this, and now offers a German language Web site.

There is also the added bonus of lively surroundings - including the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, and attractions such as the Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville - that makes Cherokee a good place to visit.

Long vacations (6 weeks of vacation time) and a favorable exchange rate make traveling to the United States a feasible option for many Europeans, and along with the Cherokee reservation in particular, the entire Southeast is growing in popularity among foreign travelers. This should give the tourism a little boost as the national economy makes Americans more reticent to travel.

Cherokee, Asheville and the rest of Western North Carolina are also good places to vacation for those in the Southeast who would like to take a vacation but don't want to travel far from home, with rises gas prices and talk of recession.

Cherokee is about an hour from Asheville, and has many cultural attractions to enjoy, including:
Plus much more - visit the Web site to see all Cherokee has to offer.


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2 comments:

Junie Moon said...

We've been living in Tucson for 10 years now and are surrounded by interesting facets of Native American culture. When I go home to NC on visits, I'm reminded about the Cherokee nation and its own cultural story. If I recall my history correctly, the Cherokee Nation adopted Sequoyah's alphabet as their own after he created "Talking Leaves", 85 letters making up the Cherokee syllabary (another letter was added later). His work brought literacy to the Cherokees. Travel is such a wonderful way to learn; I'm always awestruck by all I discover.

Kelly said...

That's a great way to travel. I think it makes such a difference to your experiences when you have your eyes (and mind) open to learning and gathering knowledge. That's my favorite way to travel anyway! :)