The COVID-19 Shuffle: Small tourism finds big solutions.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: TOURISM

For more than two decades, Alaskan Tour Guides has offered multi-day trips in Alaska. In a typical year, the Wasilla-based business takes hundreds of guests on excursions, ranging from exciting sled dog kennel tours and wildlife viewing to sightseeing in breathtaking national and state parks. The company also customizes trips for families and other groups that want to create a unique travel adventure. "Primarily, our travel is along the road system between Homer and Fairbanks," Owner Doreen Toller says. "We put together the whole vacation for folks, including lodging, transportation, tours, and meals."

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, it completely disrupted everything for Alaskan Tour Guides. The company was 75 percent booked at the time--then it was forced to cancel all tours. COVID-19 created too many uncertainties about which businesses would be in operation and how they were going to operate. And Toller wanted to make sure customers received the best possible service.

As a creative solution, Alaskan Tour Guides allowed customers to carry over their tours and receive discounts on some activities. "We charged a small cancel fee, and we allowed customers to use that fee as a credit when they rebooked," says Toller, who is proud of her company's frequent 5-star Tripadvisor reviews. "We basically did everything we could for the customer because of the unknowns with COVID."

The company's strategy for this year is to not only sell tours but to also sell travelers on the idea that Alaskan Tour Guides is on top of the protocols for keeping them safe. Toller explains: "We bought the UV light wands and additional sanitizers. We are requiring our travelers to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of arriving. That's for the comfort of travelers, who are loving that. We are trying to let people know we're operating in a safe manner."

Industry Experts Watch Businesses Evolve

Alaskan Tour Guides' response to the pandemic is consistent with what's been happening with many other tourism-related, small businesses in the state. The COVID-19 crisis has kept Alaska's traditional visitor dollars literal oceans away, causing small businesses that typically rely on that money to find creative ways to keep their doors open--all while implementing optimal safety procedures and modifying how they cater to local and online customers.

As a result, Alaska's travel and tour industry experts have seen businesses evolve in interesting ways. Early last year when necessary travel restrictions went into place, everyone from tour directors to fishing guides to bed and breakfast owners were forced to react in crisis mode, according to Sarah Leonard, president and CEO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA). Companies had to make quick decisions on issues like rebooking policies, staffing, and how to continue to pay bills with no cash coming in. "As we started to see limited opening capacity for food-service type businesses, the tour operator sector was still challenged by finding cash and support with no visitors and revenue coming through the doors," Leonard says. "Even today, tourism business owners continue to try to navigate complex federal funding programs while adapting their business operations to COVID-19 safety and health protocols in order to protect their teams and guests."

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