Tourism Planning is an important part of ATIA’s mission, along with destination marketing. In fact, the second half of ATIA’s Vision Statement essentially addresses tourism planning:
ATIA will be the leading industry organization promoting Alaska as a top visitor destination, communicating and promoting the Alaska tourism industry as one of the state’s major economic forces, and will be the respected voice of the industry for the growth of the industry, while remaining attentive to care for the environment, recognition of cultures and Alaska’s unique quality of life.
On March 27, 2008, the ATIA Board of Directors adopted the organization’s Long Range Planning Strategies for the Visitor Industry, titled SUSTAINING ALASKA’S TOURISM FUTURE. This document presents a number of strategies to guide tourism development in Alaska in a manner that balances industry growth, environmental responsibility care and concern for our unique cultures and the needs of Alaskans.
The Tourism Planning Committee is responsible for carrying out SUSTAINING ALASKA’S TOURISM FUTURE. The Chair of the Tourism Planning Committee is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Meetings are scheduled throughout the year to both address pertinent issues and work proactively on tourism development needs. Action items that are approved by the Tourism Planning Committee are presented to the Board of Directors at regularly scheduled meetings for deliberation and final action.
Some of the issues that the Tourism Planning Committee has tackled in the past couple years on behalf of our members include:
- US Forest Service Flat Fee regulations
- Denali Park Road planning
- Wildlife management issues
- Halibut sport fishing regulations
Topics of keen interest to the Tourism Planning Committee on a proactive basis include Winter Tourism Development and certification programs for greener operations.