South-east Alaska tourism
August 19, 2012
After a peak in 2008 south-east Alaska tourism is on a slow path to recovery. The core cruise ship traffic is notching up. Key attractions draw visitors each year.
In 2010, 1.5 million people visited Alaska. This is a decline of 7% from 2009 and 11.8% from 2008, a peak year in Alaska tourism. Of the 1.5 million visitors in 2010: 58% (878,000) came by cruise, 37% (551,600) came by air, and 5% (76,000) came by highway or ferry.
Tourism is the second-largest private sector employer, and accounts for one in eight Alaskan jobs. The most recent available data indicates that the tourism industry generates over 36,000 direct and indirect jobs, 8% of Alaska employment, and $1.1 billion in combined labor income. The industry boasts a 78% resident hire rate.
In south-east Alaska the cruise ship traffic is key. It has still not recovered from its 2008 peak. A few points of interest:
- The biggest draw of south-east Alaska is the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, which receives 450,000 visitors each year.
- The second biggest draw is the Whitepass Railway, that carried 387,000 passengers in 2011 and is expected to carry 400,000 in 2012.
- For the adventurous few, there is the Chilkoot Trail, an international trail for hikers. It takes 3-5 days to hike from Dyea to Bennett on the historic trail. Only 2,500 hardy souls take this trail each season.
Commentary
Alaska’s cruise ship dockings are expected to increase in 2012 from 2011 and the total number of visitors is also expected to rise. Rubber tire traffic is lower, due to the recession.
Sources
- a)http://www.akrdc.org/issues/tourism/overview.html
- b)Personal interviews - Tongass National Forest staff. Aug-2012.
- c)http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/
