Alaska Tourism Industry Research

Tourism is one of Alaska’s major economic forces. In 2019, more than 52,000 Alaskans depended on tourism for their income. Every dollar spent on tourism brings returns to our state and our communities. The below research statistics and materials provide information about Alaska’s tourism trends and sector performance. Learn more about how Tourism Works for Alaska.

Research Dashboard

Updated March 2023

WORKFORCE

ALASKA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 4.4%
Alaska’s unemployment rate is 4.4%, the lowest it’s been in years. The national rate is 3.4%. Workforce challenges remain in all sectors across the country, compounded by inflation and higher wages affecting higher consumer costs.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bloomberg News

Alaska can expect a full complement of J-1 student visa holders for 2023 due to a variety of State Department measures to ease application procedures.
Source: Intrax

2023 EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: +1,400 jobs
Summer 2023 tourism workforce in leisure and hospitality is projected to gain 1,400 job openings.
Source: AK Economic Trends, January 2023

AIR TRAVEL

PASSENGER TRAFFIC UP AN AVERAGE OF 20% FROM 2021
Juneau 2022 passenger counts are up 28% from 2021. Anchorage 2022 passenger counts are up 18% from 2021. Fairbanks total passenger numbers YTD through September are up 13% from the same period in 2021 and down 12% from 2019.
Source: Visit Anchorage, Explore Fairbanks, Travel Juneau

LODGING

HOTELS AROSS THE STATE SAW RECORD BOOKINGS & REVENUE IN 2022, WITH WINTER MONTHS DRIVING GROWTH
Fairbanks North Star Borough reports record bed taxes of $7.2 million in 2022. Winter months are seeing dramatic growth, reflecting increased visitation for aurora viewing last year. In 2022, Juneau saw a 10% increase in occupancy and 36% increase in Revenue per Room (RevPar) over 2021. Hotel demand in Anchorage surpassed the old record from 2019 by 6%, primarily driven by increases winter visitation.
Sources: Explore Fairbanks, Visit Anchorage, Travel Juneau, Visit Anchorage

CRUISING

SHIPS SAILING ALASKA ITINERARIES UP 74% OCCUPANCY FOR AVAILABLE BERTHS
Passenger numbers are estimated to be around 1.15 million for 2022, though final counts are forthcoming. 2019 saw 1.33 million passengers, and 2021 saw 124,000. The last ship to dock in Juneau was on October 18th.
Source: CLIA-Alaska

NATIONAL PARKS

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NATIONAL PARKS ON THE ROAD SYSTEM REMAIN POPULAR DESTINATIONS COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC
In 2022, Denali National Park saw about 67% of its peak visitation of 642,000 from 2017. Kenai Fjords National Park was very close to its peak visitation numbers from 2021, at 94%. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was at about 75% of its peak from 2012. Remote parks are a longer way from complete recovery, perhaps due to the higher cost of accessing them during a period of high inflation. However, public lands remain a key attraction for many visitors.
Source: National Park Service

TRAVEL ALASKA STATEWIDE MARKETING PROGRAM

TRAVELALASKA.COM
Since launch in February 2022, the site has received over 3 million sessions, over 6 million pageviews, over 77k planner requests, and click-throughs to member profile listings are up over 30%. Source: ATIA

MEDIA RELATIONS/ROI TAKEAWAYS
298 journalists assisted, 27 cultural tourism stories placed and media value of over $40 million. Source: Thompson & Co.

TRAVELER SATISFACTION
Visitors to Alaska expressed 87% satisfaction with two of the top three polling categories: “Interactions with locals” and “service/hospitality,” while “overall trip” was rated 88%. Source: Destination Analysts