MAT-SU — When the days get short and temperatures drop, most tourists head out of sight, migrating south until sunny, warmer days beckon them back to the 49th state.

Suddenly, the lines of RVs clogging roads, tourists piling into restaurants and side-of-the-road photo opportunities seem to be few and far between.

The state is largely left to the locals, who ride out the winter, some waiting earnestly for the tourists to come back if that’s how they make their living. But just because winter in Alaska is more harsh than most places in the United States doesn’t mean the industry shuts down completely.

Between snowmachine tours, ice fishing, the Hatcher Pass area, and other attractions, the Mat-Su Valley still has plenty to offer parka-clad visitors, officials say.

In Palmer, Chamber of Commerce Assistant Director Randi Perlman said the city still has plenty of tourists that keep local businesses busy all winter.

Some hotels and bed and breakfasts are full or nearly full even through the darkest months, she said.

“I haven’t heard about any of them going out of business over the winter.”

Perlman said contrary to what some in the Lower 48 might think, the Palmer Chamber of Commerce sees traffic all winter long.

She touts Alaska’s seemingly never ending mystique and attractiveness to travelers.

“It’s still part of the U.S., it’s not like traveling to a foreign country,” Perlman said. “People feel comfortable here.”

Many tourism experts in the Valley say almost every activity tourists pursue during the summer can be done in winter, albeit with more caution.

Even some restaurants and attractions in Talkeetna remain open all year.

One trend that seems to have carried over from the summer in the Valley is tourists still coming to the state no matter what the economy does.

When gas prices rose to more than $4 per gallon in July some thought it would spell the end of the area’s tourism season.

But they kept coming.

Most tourists interviewed by the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman over the summer? said they’d been dreaming of coming to Alaska for too long to call the trip off because of high prices.

Others, mainly the older tourists, said coming this far for vacation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and economic woes weren’t going to ruin it.

Gas prices have fallen a bit now — though not nearly as much as in the Lower 48 — but the national economy is still in shambles.

Still, the tourists are coming.

Lyn Carden, the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce’s executive assistant, said the tourism industry is thriving.

“It’s alive and well in Wasilla.”

Carden cited events like the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and activities such as sled dog tours, snowmachining and sightseeing, as attractions that still bring out the masses.

Wasilla is typically a jumping-off point for tourists with plans to sight-see or take part in other activities to the north.

Gov. Sarah Palin has also apparently helped the state. Carden said she’s received calls from people now interested in coming to visit right away after learning more about the Valley in national news.

One man from Texas even asked, jokingly, if he could ride snowmachines with Todd Palin.

Regardless of what winter tourists do, it appears Alaska’s draw on the rest of the country, and world, is holding strong. Even as economic woes continue to draw headlines, tourism officials in the Valley are heralding the success of tourism-based industries.

Like the summer RVers say, coming to Alaska is something many dream about for an entire lifetime.

“I think they’re still coming,” Carden said. “I think they’re still making plans.”

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.