Annual Reports

2023 Letter from our Board Chair and President

In FY23, the Alaska Travel Industry Association and the travel industry embraced signs of normalcy as the effects of the pandemic waned and focused efforts returned to welcoming visitors. While summer 2022 did not see international and cruise passenger visitation quite back to pre-pandemic levels, there was a significant rebound driven by independent travelers. Workforce and housing resources remained tight, providing challenges for businesses still recovering from the financial and staffing impacts from the pandemic. Yet throughout FY23, Alaska’s travel industry remained steadfast and resilient, and the continued return of both cruise and independent travelers has supported its recovery and strength.

The importance of tourism for our communities and the state’s economy is reflected in newly released research ATIA conducted in 2022 showing that 2.7 million visitors traveled to Alaska and spent $3.9 billion during the summer and winter. Given that 2022 was still a transitional year for tourism and 2023 had a record number of cruise passengers, we know the economic impact of tourism and its importance to Alaska’s workforce and overall economy will continue to grow. Further, ATIA supports working within our communities to manage the potential impacts of our visitors.

This momentum will only continue if there are sustained, healthy reinvestments of tourism dollars to support destination marketing. The tourism marketing campaign that ran during FY23 will drive visitation in 2024 and will keep Alaska competitive with other long-haul destinations in the coming year. However, to remain competitive and generative, we must be consistent each year with our welcoming message so as not to lose future market share to other destinations with larger marketing budgets.

ATIA and its board of directors focused on supporting policies and marketing endeavors that ensure tourism companies from all regions and sizes can not only survive, but also thrive. Through the board’s leadership, and the commitment of the ATIA staff, initiatives moved forward seamlessly as the organization searched for, and successfully found, a new president and CEO.

There is still much work ahead, but the strength of our industry continues to be the way we work together to provide incredible experiences for visitors and supporting livelihoods for so many Alaskans across the state.

Sincerely,

Craig Jennison, ATIA 2022-2023 Board Chair
Jillian Simpson, ATIA President & CEO

2023 Annual Report Cover