They showcase Alaska in a different way. They go to communities that the large ships don’t go to bec

When the Alaska Travel Industry meets, members want to hear the numbers. At this week's conference in Sitka, experts presented the latest information on visitor traffic trends. As Emily Forman reports, they are optimistic about growth.
Heather Haugland – project manager at the McDowell Group – also recalls a time when she contributed to the visitor industry in Sitka as a kayak guide. She likes to tell the story of the time she accidentally flipped lax rent a car her boat in front of a client.
lax rent a car The visitor industry brings in new outside fresh dollars into the Alaska economy and that makes it really really valuable. 8% I think is something to be really proud of, and to advertise it is a big chunk of our economy.
Haugland also provided a snapshot of visitor traffic from cruises. This mode of transportation has seen some positive growth up 6% from 2012 to 2013, recovering from the two earlier years previously marked by the Recession. But, Haugland does warn about being more conservative in the coming year – that's lax rent a car because of an expected 3% drop in cruise passengers next season. That's a loss of 28,000 visitors.
While cruise lines are exploring new markets, passengers are becoming more independent. Haugland explains that cruisers lax rent a car are finding ways around the shore excursion booking process that the lines encourage.
They are renting cars, they are renting RVs they are getting off the beaten path, they're finding other packaged tours or just going out on their own. They're actually waiting until they get to port then choosing their tour and buying independently.
But the big news, according to Haugland, had to do with what was happening outside of the cruise sector. It was the increase in the number people visiting Alaska by plane – counted when each passenger flies out of the state. lax rent a car Haugland looked at May through August numbers, from 2012 to 2013 and found,
lax rent a car They showcase Alaska in a different way. They go to communities that the large ships don't go to because they don't have the infrastructure or the product available, and also because the small cruise lines originate in the region. It gives people a chance lax rent a car to spend time in Alaska on their own before lax rent a car or after their cruise. So it's a small but very significant part of the industry.
If someone is thinking I'm not directly involved in it, if you think about the local and statewide tax base you really need a healthy lax rent a car economy for the rest of the kind of things we have as residents. Libraries, pools, public safety education.
Officials consider downtown tourism changes The Sitka Assembly is taking up a request for a downtown tourist shuttle bus at its regular meeting Oct. 22. more Matt Gibbs on The Speaking Tube Matt, from Air Station Sitka, was in the studio to talk about his Alaskan experience. He reached back to some hits from the 90s and we also got to hear some B sides along the way. It was great to fit him in before he ships off to Washington this fall. Listen to the whole show here: more