Agriculture important to tourism

I returned from the National Tour Association's convention recently where I met with tour operators during prescheduled appointments. These appointments are with operators who have an Alaska tour program, or who are looking to start one. This year, one of the big things I was asked was about agricultural tourism, something the Valley is perfectly positioned to offer.

The demand for farm tours is increasing, as visitors - from the Midwest in particular - want to see how and why the Mat-Su is known for farming. Whether it is livestock, dairy or vegetables, many visitors want to see a working farm in the Mat-Su Valley.

While a farm tour is obviously agricultural tourism, people may not realize just how important agriculture is to other aspects of tourism in our area. It goes way beyond the typical farm tour.

Agriculture is also a rich part of the cultural appeal of the Mat-Su Valley. The Matanuska Colony project led to the emergence of Palmer as an agricultural hub in Alaska, and this type of cultural history is important to visitors. The Colony House Museum in downtown Palmer, for example, is a cultural draw, and it has its roots in agriculture.

Culinary tourism is an up-and-coming trend, and many local restaurants have taken advantage of this by featuring Alaska Grown vegetables, beef and dairy products, like milk, ice cream and cheese. Visitors want to immerse themselves in the destination, and there's no better way to do that than through local flavors. The "farm-to-table" experience is a unique marketing point for the Mat-Su area, given the amount of vegetable and dairy products we produce.

Agriculture is also important to the Valley's largest tourism draw - the Alaska State Fair. Last year, the fair celebrated its 75th anniversary, coinciding with the Colony project. It started out as a way to showcase the crops of local farmers, and still today is world famous for its giant cabbages, pumpkins and rutabagas. People from around the world come to the Alaska State Fair to see these giant vegetables and learn why they can grow so large.

When you are shopping for your Alaska Grown potatoes, lettuce and carrots, the effect of agricultural on the Valley's economy is evident. But also growing in that fertile Palmer soil is the seedling of an emerging tourism trend, one that has a benefit to our local economy as well.

Casey Ressler (casey@alaskavisit.com) is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau.