Another wonder for Grand Canyon?
An elderly spiritual leader shook a gourd rattle and sang prayers as dozens of news crews, some from as far away as Korea, jockeyed for position behind a cordon of yellow caution tape Wednesday. They were there to watch a 2 million pound deck being inched into position off a limestone cliff 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon floor.
The glass-bottomed, horseshoe shaped deck juts almost 70 feet from the canyons rim. When it opens March 28, it will give visitors, for a $25 fee, the sensation of being suspended amid the canyons towering red rock walls above a faint sliver of Colorado River flowing far below.
The Skywalk is on the Hualapai (WALL-a-pie) Indian Reservation on the canyons western rim, 120 miles east of Las Vegas and 250 miles west of Grand Canyon National Parks main entrance, where most visitor enterprises are clustered. The floating deck is the latest commercial enterprise attempted by an impoverished tribe that, unlike many other Native American groups, is betting on tourism rather than casino gaming for economic salvation. Half of the 1,500 residents on the Hualapai reservation are unemployed, and about 30% live below the poverty level.
The tribe already draws more than 300,000 visitors a year to what is marketed as Grand Canyon West, offering helicopter sightseeing flights, rafting and pontoon boat rides, an Indian village and a replica Old West town. Tribal officials believe the Skywalk will double visitation in the first year alone.
Still, the $30 million project is not without critics, who liken it to imposing an amusement-park attraction on a natural wonder. But Sheri Yellowhawk, head of the tribes business enterprises, counters that not only will the Skywalk create jobs, but it also will foster cultural exchange. At present, two thirds of visitors to Grand Canyon West are on quick packaged day trips from Las Vegas.
We are not building a power plant. This is not a ride. Nobodys swinging around, she says. We are building a natural way to view the canyon.
Skywalks official opening is March 20, when moon walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin will lead an invitation-only group onto the platform. But critical infrastructure is far from complete. Reliable water and power sources for this isolated high-desert area remain sketchy. A 14 mile stretch of road into the tourist area is unpaved. Construction of a visitors center, restaurant and museum that will frame the Skywalk entrance hasn’t begun.
And only time will tell whether the endeavor is folly or genius. Not surprisingly, Bill Karren of Lochsa Engineering, the firm overseeing construction, takes the latter view.
It is bold,he says as workers use a pulley and cable system to slowly nudge the peach-colored Skywalk out from the cliff. My firm is in Las Vegas, so we’re used to doing weird stuff. But this takes the cake.
Courtesy of grouptravelblog.com
Chitra Mogul
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements