G'day Alaska! International travelers flock to the 49th State.

• Author: Sommer, Susan
• Position: VISITOR INDUSTRY

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Everything Collette Harrison thought she knew about Alaska before she visited from London in the 1990s was what she had seen on "Northern Exposure" and what she had read in her Lonely Planet guidebook. On her long-anticipated visit, she took bus tours, a day cruise and a flightseeing trip, but none of her activities addressed her expectations of coming face-to-face with grizzly bears or exploring Alaska's rugged wilderness, nor did they bring her into contact with similar characters to those she had grown to love on "Northern Exposure."

However, today's international travelers to Alaska have all kinds of resources at their fingertips that can pinpoint the right activities to make their Alaska visit the trip of a lifetime--travel agents who have been here in person on "fam" (familiarization) trips, visitor guides updated annually and, of course, the Internet.

"Alaska is definitely somewhere that I would go back to," said Harrison. "I didn't even scratch the surface."

'Down Under' Outpaces 'Across the Pond'

Visitors from the United Kingdom used to be the largest group of overseas travelers to Alaska, but a 2011 survey by the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development revealed that Australians have jumped to the top of the list.

Jillian Simpson, director of travel trade and international marketing for the Alaska Travel Industry Association, said, "Aussies very much enjoy cruising when they come to Alaska and are drawn to seeing the glaciers."

Kirk Hoessle, chief executive officer of Alaska Wildland Adventures and recent appointee by President Barack Obama to a national advisory board for U.S. travel and tourism, echoes that sentiment. "For all international travelers, glaciers seem to have an added thrill," he says. International travelers "have a deep appreciation for something Americans sometimes take for granted: wide open spaces and wilderness. Most seem to come from highly urbanized regions with less access to undisturbed ecosystems. They have a great appreciation for public lands and the recreation and wildlife watching opportunities they afford." Hoessle says his overseas clients are often more adventurous than domestic travelers and are willing to travel off the beaten track to remote corners of Alaska.

Wildlife is another major attraction, especially for European visitors. "Bears once existed in Europe and are extremely rare now," said Hoessle. "Many Americans have seen black...