Alaska Travel Industry Association: determining who is the next visitor to Alaska.

AuthorColby, Nicole A. Bonham
PositionVISITOR INDUSTRY

As one of the strongest links among the independent Alaskan visitor industry operator, the state s planning and tourism arm, and the actual traveler spending money to come visit the Great Land, the Alaska Travel Industry Association serves as a barometer of travel trends and influences.

Its 700-plus membership that spans the breadth of the 49th state is largely made up of the men and women who own, operate and staff the state's variety of visitor and tourism-related businesses. As a result, the organization is first on the ground to register when there is a change in demographic, in requested travel product, or in international or domestic targeted interest in Alaska. That information is funneled to the state's tourism marketers and helps determine Alaska's visitor industry targeted marketing campaign and annual plan.

Whether a charter boat operator in Ketchikan, a northern lights tour company in Fairbanks, or adventure travel charter in the Aleutians, members participate in annual strategizing and provide feedback that directly links to how the state attracts its next visitor.

For 2013, ATIA staff members say they are seeing increased interest from international travelers, arrival of new air service to Anchorage that will further open up the European market, and a "huge" growth of visitors from Down Under. As one of the state's cornerstone industries and economic forces, tourism and visitor industry commerce remains big business in Alaska--furthered by the grassroots folks who are providing the front-end services. Whether a policy discussion, workshop to develop a regional or company level tourism strategy plan, or simply a webinar or instructional guide to help the local tourism business capture its market, the ATIA is on board.

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Jillian Simpson, current membership director at ATIA who formerly directed international marketing for the organization, recently commented on such trends. "The industry is definitely healthy," she says. "We are seeing growth. We are seeing visitor numbers come back up. Worldwide projections for travel are positive."

The organization itself is also experiencing some internal growth, rolling out a new membership program and related benefits for its existing and potential members.

"This is going to be a big push for us" in upcoming months, she says.

For those who are uninitiated to the organization, it provides a targeted method for travel-related businesses in the state to receive assistance in...

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