ALASKA TOURISM SET FOR ANOTHER BIG YEAR
State logged more than 3 million visitors last year, with more on way BY TIM BRADNER THE ALASKA TOURISM INDUSTRY IS THRIV- ING, AND ALL INDICATIONS POINT TOWARD AN- OTHER BANNER YEAR FOR TRAVELERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. Jillian Simpson, President and CEO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA), who recently presented during the RDC’s Breakfast Forum series, noted that the forecast for the upcoming sum- mer season remains strong. “Last year, we had over 3 million visi- tors to Alaska, which is a record for us,” said Jillian Simpson, CEO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA). “Those visi- tors are spending $3.9 million directly with businesses in Alaska communities which resulted in $157 million in revenue to the state of Alaska through different taxes and fees and that number only includes what is paid by out-of-state visitors. “That results in an economic impact of $5.6 billion and 48,000 jobs in Alaska are supported as a result of the travel indus- try. That really shows that tourism is an opportunity to create wealth for Alaskans. It creates commerce and makes our com- munities better and stronger, and supports so many of our families so that we’re able to live and work and thrive here.” Simpson said there have been a num- ber of interesting trends in recent travel seasons in both summer and winter. “What I like to say is tourism is a cul- tural exchange. Visitors come here to learn about us but then we also have the oppor- tunity to learn about them,” Simpson said. “The majority of visitors to Alaska come in the summer but our winter travel sector is growing at a substantial rate with visi- tors who want to see what Alaska has to
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About 1.7 million cruise ship passengers are again expected to visit Alaska this year.
offer during that time of year. That’s driven mostly by the Aurora and Alaska offers the best place in the world to see that. We’ve seen larger tax revenue in communities like Fairbanks and Anchorage in March than in June because many times that win-
ter growth has been so significant.” Simpson pointed to one specific seg- ment of travelers who continue to support the tourism industry and the state econo- my as whole. “Cruise passengers make up more than
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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW SPRING 2025
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