TOURISM
Tourism Executive Roundtable Industry experts weigh in on Alaska’s summer travel forecast By Tracy Barbour
104 | April 2021
A
fter a devastating “lost season” in 2020, Alaska tourism stakeholders are hoping this summer will see a much-needed return of visitor spending—or at least the start of the recovery process. Alaska went from expecting 1.5 million cruise passengers in 2020 to experiencing a dearth of cruise ships coming to the state, according to Alaska Chamber President and CEO Kati Capozzi. And with half of Alaska’s visitors historically arriving by cruise ship, this greatly reduced the number of visitors who traveled within the state. Many businesses in the community were impacted—and not just in the typical, tourism-oriented cities—but also in places up north. The effect was also felt by local governments, especially those— like Fairbanks—whose budgets rely heavily on land-touring cruise passengers to generate hotel/motel taxes. “It had an effect we are still
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