Alaska Tourism: Stable Despite Challenges

0:00It's March 6th, here's your Anchorage News in two minutes. Visitor numbers to Alaska State almost flat last summer, with just 4,000 more tourists in the year before, for a total of 2.7 million people. That's a tiny 0.1% increase, according to a new report from the Alaska Travel Industry Association, cruise ship traffic dipped, which is unusual for an industry used to steady growth. Early last summer, booking slowed in some areas, like international visitors, partly due to global economic worries. Marketing budgets also shrink after the group spent a $5 million federal COVID grant the year prior. Cross-Golf Cruise Traffic Fail 5% tied to how lines position their ships. Industry leaders see it as a small victory. No decline means holding steady after years of gains, skipping the 2020 COVID drop. In Anchorage, bed-tax revenue signals softer tourism, down 8% to $45 million, with hotel demand a bit weaker too.

1:01Meanwhile, hotel supply stayed tight last year amid renovations, but that's changing now. A new 141-room courtyard, by Marriott, plans to open this spring in Midtown. Looking ahead, things seem brighter. A new dock ensured will handle bigger ships. Cross-Golf Cruise Capacity should grow 10-15% and advance hotel bookings are already. Ahead of last year at this time, this story is made possible by our sponsor, see the episode description. Relaxed steeper, reset faster, comfort you can hear, S-O-L-I-SOLIPILLO.com.