Visitors to Alaska’s national parklands pumped $2.3B into the state’s economy, report says

A sign, seen Aug. 27, 2022, marks nan entranceway of nan Exit Glacier area of Kenai Fjords National Park. The car-accessible frontcountry is owed for immoderate large changes arsenic its main attraction, walk-up Exit Glacier, shrings from position successful Alaska’s warming climate. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Tourism to nationalist parks successful Alaska has rebounded from pre-pandemic levels aft 3 years of little numbers, according to a report released by nan National Park Service.

In all, 3.3 cardinal visitors came to Alaska’s nationalist parkland sites successful 2023, and they spent astir $1.5 cardinal successful nan section regions, according to nan Park Service’s yearly visitant spending effects report.

There were 21,300 park-related jobs successful Alaska generating $839 cardinal successful labour income successful 2023, nan study said. Alaska’s nationalist parkland units generated $2.3 cardinal successful economical worth to nan state, nan study said.

The statistic were compiled by nan National Park Service, pinch assistance from nan U.S. Geological Survey.

The totals for occupation numbers, labour income and economical output to nan Alaska system were higher than successful 2019, nan twelvemonth anterior to nan outbreak of nan COVID-19 pandemic, according to nan report. Total visitant spending successful 2023 was astir adjacent to that successful 2019, according to nan report.

“Solitude, wilderness and heavy quality relationship await successful Alaska’s nationalist parks, and I’m proud to spot really nan parks are benefitting surrounding communities,” Sarah Creachbaum, Alaska location head for nan National Park Service, said successful a statement.

Alaska has 23 nationalist parkland units and is 1 of nan states that reaps nan astir economical worth from its nationalist parks, preserves, monuments and historical sites, according to nan report. Alaska ranks 4th among each U.S. states successful nationalist park-related visitant spending, jobs, labour income and economical output, according to nan report.

The COVID-19 pandemic deed Alaska parkland visitation peculiarly hard, however.

Analysis by nan Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s investigation section recovered that visitation to Alaska’s 8 main nationalist parks fell by 86% from 2019 to 2020, compared to a nationalist diminution of 28% for full parkland visits.

Denali National Park and Preserve, for example, got only 54,850 visits successful 2020, little than a tenth of what was recorded successful each of nan 5 preceding years, according to nan park. Denali is 1 of nan state’s apical tourer destinations.

In 2023, visitant totals astatine Denali were back up to astir 500,000, according to nan Park Service. That was contempt a caller impediment to travel: nan closure astatine nan midpoint of nan only roadworthy done nan park. The 92-mile roadworthy has been closed astatine its midpoint since precocious summertime of 2021 because of an ongoing landslide triggered by thaw. That conception of roadworthy is expected to stay closed until 2026 arsenic crews build a caller span astatine nan site.

A different hazard has constricted visitation astatine different celebrated Alaska nationalist parkland unit. Severe flooding from storms successful nan autumn of 2022 destroyed bridges and wreaked different harm connected nan Alaska information of nan 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, portion of nan Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

The Alaska broadside of that historical way has been closed beyond nan first 4 miles, though nan Canadian information of nan trail, which lies northbound of nan Chilkoot Pass, remains open.

Indications are that this year’s visitation numbers will beryllium precocious arsenic well, contempt nan hindrances astatine Denali and Klondike Gold Rush. A ample percent of visitors to nationalist parks successful Alaska get by cruise ship, and cruise rider numbers this twelvemonth were expected to break the record group successful 2023, according to industry reports.