Renee Brincks
Late last month, representatives from more than 20 Alaska destinations and tour companies gathered in Las Vegas for the fall 2018 Alaska Media Road Show (AMRS). During discussions of seasonal traffic, tour updates and travel industry news, three trends emerged.
1. Alaska continues to see strong cruise traffic.
"Statewide, we saw an increase in the cruise market and also in independent travel," said Jillian Simpson, Alaska Travel Industry Association vice president. "Cruise traffic was up by 7%, air traffic was up 4% and ferry traffic was also up. We're projecting a 17% increase in 2019 because of increased ship capacity."
Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Lindblad Expeditions are planning new Alaska deployments in 2019. Windstar Cruises returned to the state in 2018 for the first time in 27 years, and its summer tours sold out. Windstar's year-to-date bookings for 2019 are also up compared to last year.
When the Celebrity Infinity visited Icy Strait Point in late August, it became the 1,000th ship to dock there since Huna Totem Corp. opened the destination in 2004. A week later, the total number of guests to visit Icy Strait Point topped 2 million with the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas.
The Inside Passage communities of Juneau and Ketchikan reported strong summer numbers, as well.
"Cruise-wise, 2018 was a great year," said Patti Mackey, Ketchikan Visitors Bureau president and CEO. "September 2017 marked the first time that Ketchikan reached 1 million passengers in a single season, and we surpassed that this year. It was our first year with the beautiful Norwegian Bliss, which kept us very busy, and we were also excited to welcome Windstar back. Overall, it was good for both retail and tourism businesses in the community."
Ketchikan saw over 1.1 million cruise passengers in 2018, and the city welcomed nearly 1.2 million total visitors when factoring in air and ferry arrivals. Mackey expects approximately 1.2 million guests to visit Ketchikan in 2019.
2. Winter interest is on the rise.
"Alaska's summer season is busy, but winter options are also expanding and becoming more accessible," said Simpson. "Alaska's winter traffic is up substantially, accounting for 14% of the overall visitor market. That's driven, in large part, by aurora viewing and visits to the interior."
Fairbanks-area outfitters have responded with new tour offerings, Simpson added, and the National Park Service has been promoting winter-season activities in Denali National Park and Preserve. One of the biggest is the 19th annual Denali Winterfest, which will take place from Feb. 22 to 24. The weekend event brings ranger-led snowshoe walks, ski tours, fat-tire bike rides, ice carving demonstrations, snow-block sculpting competitions and other family-friendly activities to the park.
Travelers can access Denali activities via the Alaska Railroad, which has added new winter departures for the fifth year in a row. The company also introduced a customizable tour package that includes a stay at Borealis Basecamp, where guests can watch the aurora from private, clear-topped dome accommodations.
Winter reservations are also strong for John Hall's Alaska, which recently updated its 2019 Alaska's Winter Wonders and Iditarod & Aurora Adventure itineraries. Travelers are booking snow-season tours farther in advance than summer outings, said COO Elizabeth Hall.
"Winter is our fastest-selling season, and it sells out more quickly because the availability is more limited," she said. "Winter tours typically sell 12 to 18 months in advance, while our Grand Slam Alaska, Denali Explorer and other summer tours might sell out six to 12 months in advance."
3. Multigenerational travel remains popular.
Alaska Wildland Adventures was one of several AMRS attendees that noted a continued interest in multigenerational travel. The company welcomed more young families than usual this summer, and more active groups of all ages.
Representatives from Princess Cruises reported an increase in "skip-gen" groups, where grandparents and grandchildren tour together, without the parents.
Customized itineraries are popular, too.
"We've seen big growth in multigenerational family charters on our 10-passenger vessel," said Doug McLatchie, director of sales for Alaskan Dream Cruises. "Some families are only traveling with seven or eight people, but they enjoying having the chef, the excursions and the experience to themselves."