Alaska operators sell Mother Nature
In Alaska, selling Mother Nature is a lucrative business.
In fact, it generates millions in revenues, says a new study conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage.
It found a combined annual revenue of $250 million for about 150 shore-based operators that worked in a few northern Panhandle towns in 2005 and 2006.
Some Panhandle towns cater mostly to cruise ships travelers. Others target more luxury-minded travelers who seek a high-end charter yacht trip or fishing expedition.
The study showed how tourism’s economic consequences varied widely among towns, depending on what kinds of tourism activities they target.
“There’s no right or wrong way to do it, but there’s going to be different outcomes,” said Ginny Fay, an Anchorage economist who led the study.
An example: Hoonah and Elfin Cove — both Chichagof Island towns that got heavily involved in the tourism business after the recent decline in the region’s other major industries, fishing and logging.
Hoonah’s major tourism player is Icy Strait Point, a cruise ship port of call that opened in 2004.
For Elfin Cove — a smaller town to the west of Hoonah — the major source of tourism revenue comes from nine sport fishing lodges in the immediate area. The lodges reported in the study were fully booked from May to September 2005.
The researchers said they tried but were ultimately unable to obtain revenue figures from the cruise ship companies operating in Alaska.
“We tried to learn how the cruise industry itself affects the economy. We’d like to know more,” said Steve Colt.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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