Grand Canyon Skywalk One Year On
Glass Bridge Builds Hope and Trust for Arizona's Hualapai Nation
Mar 30, 2008
In a remote corner of northwestern Arizona, the Grand Canyon Skywalk juts out from the cliffside into mid-air. This glass-bottom bridge gives visitors to Grand Canyon West a birds-eye view of this majestic landscape from 4000 feet above the canyon floor.
In the year since it opened in late March 2007, the Grand Canyon Skywalk has been a tremendous success, quadrupling its visitor numbers to more than 2000 per day. It has brought hope and progress to the Hualapai Nation, on whose land it stands.
In an exclusive interview for Suite 101 at World Travel Market last November, Hualapai member Wilfred Whatoname told this reporter what the Skywalk has meant for the tribe.
Was it a controversial decision for the Hualapai to build the Skywalk on their land?
"I was one of the people who opposed it at first," Whatoname admitted. "I felt it would impinge on the spirituality of Eagle Point, a very spiritual place for the Hualapai.
"But when we saw that they were able to maintain the balance between the Skywalk and the natural beauty of the place, it changed the opinion of those who were opposed."
The idea of the Skywalk came from outside the tribe - was this a problem?
The Skywalk was envisioned by David Jin, an entreprenaur from Las Vegas. "Jin was the first tour operator to bring visitors to Grand Canyon West," Whatoname explained, "first to the bottom of the canyon by helicopter, then taking them in boats on the river.
"It was a slow building of trust - quite a process. But the tribe checks the progress of the Skywalk every step of the way."
"It's hard to envision someone else's plans," added Allison Raskansky, President and CEO of Destination Grand Canyon. "but now they see it and it has won them over. The Skywalk has provided hope."
Is the influx of so many Skywalk visitors changing tribal ways?
"The tribe is very strong in keeping our culture," Whatoname said, "and not changing our ways to suit the public at Grand Canyon West.
"All our suppliers and employees attend a class to learn what is and isn't acceptable on Hualapai land. That way, we can make sure the culture is respected."
What benefits has the Skywalk brought the Hualapai since its opening?
"We've grown from 90 employees to 360 employees," Whatoname said. "There's opportunity for training and growth into management positions."
He said their hiring guidelines open jobs to Hualapai members first, then other tribes, then outsiders. The Skywalk has also provided jobs to the tribe through all the 30 suppliers who work on the site, most of whom are based in Las Vegas or Phoenix.
The University of Hospitality, based in Las Vegas, is currently designing a program based around Grand Canyon West. When the course receives accreditation, it will be open to international as well as North American students.
Whatoname said the tribe has suffered from poverty and unemployment for decades. "Now that the Skywalk is proving to be a success, it is paving the road to an independent future."
To read more of this interview with Wilfred Whatoname, click here.
Read more about the Grand Canyon Skywalk and how to visit.
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