Alaska's business travel market: small but important.

• Author: Miller, Amy
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

Alaska's travel industry is dominated by those fulfilling what is often a lifelong dream to explore the state by cruise ship, rail, or highway--but a less-visible segment of the market returns big rewards for select communities and business types.

Business travelers represent approximately 9 percent of the overall summer-travel market in Alaska, according to the 2011 Alaska Visitor Statistics Program. The comprehensive survey of Alaska travelers is commissioned periodically by the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to provide detailed profiles of Alaska's various visitor types (2011 is the most recent year for which a profile of business travelers is available).

According to the Alaska Visitor Statistics Program, business travelers spend more on a per-person, per-trip basis than Alaska vacationers. Expenditures for business travelers averaged $1,251, while vacationers spent $932. Total Alaska business travel spending is estimated at $179 million annually.

Across the state, local convention and visitors bureaus work diligently to attract meetings and events--both from within Alaska and out of state--to help generate sales throughout the year. The three largest have shortened and rebranded their names to Visit Anchorage, Travel Juneau, and Explore Fairbanks.

Travel Juneau has seen steadily increasing numbers of meetings over the last several years; between 2012 and 2014, the organization nearly doubled (from sixteen to thirty-one) the...