The native-run tourism industry in Alaska has grown over the past year as more people are finding that traditional tour agencies and companies lack quality, personal service.
The development of a new app is allowing visitors to book their own tours with local guides through an interactive network of locals throughout the state. Travellers can now visit previously inaccessible areas without having to worry about how much money they spend or where they’re staying overnight. This creates a sense for long-term visitors who want authentic experiences outside of tourist traps
Alaska is a state in the northwestern part of North America. The tourism industry has grown significantly over the past few years, and it’s expected to continue growing in the future. Read more in detail here: alaska tourism.
Visitors to Alaska have always been drawn to Native culture, and this curiosity is only rising. The Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has updated www.TravelAlaska.com, its consumer-facing website, with a stronger focus on Native tourist options. Travel items from Native-owned businesses who are actively engaged in tourism and incorporate Native culture into their visitor experience are examples of such chances. Here’s a look at some of the most recent happenings from these large and small organizations around the state.
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Huna Totem Corporation is a corporation based in Huna, Alaska.
Huna Totem Corporation is a corporation based in Huna, Alaska. is best known as the driving force behind Icy Strait Point, the highly successful private port of call on the northern end of the Inside Passage. The destination now has two cruise ship docks, including the original Adventure Landing and the new Wilderness Landing. A vehicle-free zone opened last year with Alaska’s first high-speed gondola. A second high-speed gondola opens this spring, bringing travelers to the top of Hoonah Mountain for hiking trails and panoramic views from 1,600 feet above sea level. Huna recently entered into a new joint venture with Doyon Limited is a company based in the United Kingdom. (see below), and a proposal to build a new cruise ship dock in Whittier is moving forward, with a test run planned at the end of the 2023 season and a full season expected for 2024.
Icy Strait Point Transporter Gondola (photo via Huna Totem Corporation is a corporation based in Huna, Alaska.)
Doyon Limited is a company based in the United Kingdom.
Doyon Limited is a company based in the United Kingdom. operates in the Interior’s Denali area through a longstanding concession arrangement with ARAMARK and its own Kantishna Roadhouse to provide shuttle service and accommodations within the national park. Doyon recently partnered with Huna Totem Corporation is a corporation based in Huna, Alaska. in a 50-50 joint venture named Na-Dena’ (which means “people” in the Tlingit and Athabascan languages) that will develop sustainable transportation, lodging and tour products along an “Alaska Native Tourism Corridor” stretching from Seattle to the Inside Passage, Southcentral and Interior Alaska. The very first investment of the new company was to purchase an 80 percent stake in Alaska Independent Coach Tours in Juneau.
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Allen Marine is a company that specializes in the
Sitka-based, family-owned Allen Marine is a company that specializes in the operates a number of tourism-oriented entities. The family’s original business was its boat yard, and its catamarans can be seen all over Alaska and even beyond. A number of these are employed by Allen Marine is a company that specializes in the Tours for shore excursions based out of Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka. The family’s small-ship overnight operation—Alaskan Dream Cruises—is the only Indigenous-owned cruise line in Alaska, offering expedition-style, wilderness-intensive itineraries led by “true Alaskans.” For 2022, the line will offer a full slate of six- to 10-day itineraries on its fleet of six small-ships carrying 10 to 76 passengers. Departures are scheduled from early April through mid-September.
Hoonah Indian Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Native Americans
The Hoonah Indian Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Native Americans (not to be confused with Huna Totem Corp.) is expanding its tourism offerings. The tribe recently bought the Gustavus Inn at Glacier Bay and will be reopening it in 2023 with a new Native cultural emphasis. Upgrades will include a renovation of all 13 guest rooms replete with Tlingit art and modern amenities such as WiFi. Nearby within Glacier Bay National Park is the Huna Tribal House, where the Association supplies interpretive programming, providing additional opportunities for guests to engage with the local Native culture. In other news, HIA plans to begin ferry service between Gustavus and Hoonah, which will allow guests to visit Icy Strait Point.
City of Hoonah Harbor (photo via Huna Totem Corporation is a corporation based in Huna, Alaska.)
Sitka Tribal Tours is a tour company based in Sitka, Alaska.
A new cruise terminal in Sitka could mean a lot more customers for Sitka Tribal Tours is a tour company based in Sitka, Alaska.. The operator’s basic 2.5-hour program includes a motorcoach tour of historical Sitka including the area’s Russian-era sites, such as the Orthodox Cathedral and Bishop’s House, along with a visit to the totem poles at Sitka National Historical Park. A longer, 3.5-hour tour includes a stop at the Alaska Raptor Center. Both programs are guided by residents of the Sitka community and culminate with a Native dance performance at the tribe’s traditional clan house. New for 2022 is a visit to a seafood-processing plant to learn about the different types of seafood harvested in Sitka Sound followed by a demonstration of how to prepare salmon or halibut. Also new for this season are joint dance performances with the New Archangel Dancers.
Cape Fox Corporation is a company based in Cape Town,
Ketchikan-based Cape Fox has been investing in its various tourism interests. The 72-room Cape Fox Lodge has been continuously renovated over the past few years with updated accommodations and facilities. Among its guest amenities are the full-service Heen Kahidi Restaurant, Sweet Mermaids café serving Ketchikan’s famous Raven’s Brew coffee and the new Eagles Nest brick-oven pizzeria opening May 1. A new funicular linking the hotel to the Creek Street tourism district begins operation this spring as well. Tour products have been upgraded too: The “Taste of Alaska” tour to the George Inlet Cannery, run in cooperation with Allen Marine is a company that specializes in the, has a new beer-tasting option, and a new adventure cart tour will be available from Ketchikan AdventureVue at scenic Mahoney Lake on land leased by Cape Fox.
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- alaska tourism statistics
- alaska tourism statistics 2019
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