With cruise traffic booming, Alaska’s travel industry looks to boost independent traveler numbers

Tourists locomotion nan docks successful Juneau successful July 2023. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)

It’s been a engaged play for tourism successful Alaska. This summer, immoderate distant communities welcomed their largest cruise ships successful history– while others turned thousands of visitors distant due to wildfires.

The Alaska Travel Industry Association hasn’t released numbers yet regarding really large of an economical effect visitors had successful 2023, but it’s confirmed nan authorities collapsed a cruise vessel rider record.

ATIA president and CEO Jillian Simpson said astir sectors of nan tourism manufacture person recovered from nan Covid-19 pandemic.

This question and reply has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

Jillian Simpson: In particular, nan cruise assemblage decidedly has recovered from COVID, which I deliberation has been great. We are still seeing a batch of businesses from that clip still trying to gain backmost to nan level that they were astatine before. But I deliberation group person been really optimistic, particularly pinch nan past fewer seasons that we’ve had. 

On nan independent traveler side, though, I deliberation nan businesses that cater astir to those are still successful recovery. And it’s unknown, really really that’ll support going for them. So I deliberation that there’s still opportunity for maturation successful those sectors. 

Ava White: Some Southeast communities, like Juneau, are considering limiting cruise vessel passengers. How worried are you astir these proposals?

JS: Juneau has been a really awesome illustration of a organization led process erstwhile it comes to tourism. It surely comprises nan group that are showcasing their destination, nan group that are visiting. And it’s a taste exchange, arsenic good arsenic being really bully for nan economy. 

Juneau has nan tourism manager, Alexandra Pierce, and she has worked really intimately pinch organization stakeholders to really effort to person a organization led effort that really addresses what they want tourism to look for illustration successful Juneau, and they’ve really done immoderate really astonishing agreements pinch nan cruise lines. 

It’s unfortunate that there’s besides different initiatives that are retired location to further limit this important constituent of our economy. I deliberation having those informed conversations pinch each different and coming together, and everybody agreeing pinch what nan way guardant is, is really nan measurement to do that.

AW: Nome precocious welcomed their largest cruise ship successful its history recently, and Kodiak has besides seen an increase successful cruise travel this summer. What strategies are being implemented to summation tourism successful nan authorities beyond cruise travelers?

JS: The independent traveler is an highly important portion of our recreation makeup. Right now successful nan summertime, 65% of our visitors are connected a cruise vessel and 35% of them are walking independently– and that’s either driving up nan road aliases taking nan ferry. The immense mostly of them are evidently flying successful and retired of nan state. 

Then successful nan wintertime, they’re each independent travelers, because cruising doesn’t really hap successful nan wintertime. They’re [independent travelers] a very important conception and decidedly 1 that nan Alaska Travel Industry Association focuses connected successful bid to thief them scheme and animate them to take Alaska arsenic a visitant destination. 

I deliberation that location are a batch of communities now that are mindfully looking astatine ways to turn tourism, either by building caller ports aliases processing caller circuit products.

AW: I could spot really different Southeast communities mightiness position nan projected headdress arsenic an opportunity to summation tourism successful their respective communities. Have you seen immoderate communities trying to summation cruise traffic?

JS: There’s been immoderate existent absorbing developments happening pinch Huna Totem Corporation. They started astatine Icy Strait Point, actually, this is their 20th anniversary. They person been really mindful astir what nan improvement is going to beryllium and really galore ships, and really galore passengers, and really it was going to interact pinch nan colony of Hoonah.

It’s been specified a occurrence story, and it has grown incrementally twelvemonth complete year, and is an astonishing affirmative experience. They person collaborated pinch Doyon arsenic good Klawock and person now developed a caller tender port. 

Klawock saw its first ships earlier this play for nan first time. And again, benignant of nan aforesaid exemplary wherever it’s going to beryllium a slow development, but I deliberation it provides a immense opportunity for nan organization to lead nan measurement of what they want their tourism merchandise to beryllium and to person section circuit providers providing that and past utilizing nan distribution transmission of nan cruise lines who are bringing those passengers up.