Cruise industry vital to Valley tourism

The thought of putting together an Alaska vacation can be intimidating for many potential visitors to our state, and that’s why many opt for a packaged group tour. Some of these visitors choose a packaged tour as a pre- or post-cruise trip to Alaska. For the Mat-Su Valley, these packaged tours are important for a number of reasons.

Most Alaskans know how important the cruise industry is to our state, but locally, I hear often that the Mat-Su Valley doesn’t need the cruise industry. The fact is it’s vitally important to the tourism industry here. Many of the cruisers spend a week in Alaska on their own - and come through the Mat-Su Valley. Even more take one of the packaged trips, most of which include a stop in the Valley, whether it be in Talkeetna, a dog kennel tour, lunch, or a stop at a local museum, for example.

The Mat-Su CVB knows the importance of marketing to group tour operators in the Lower 48, and that’s why I recently attended the National Tour Association convention, and will attend the American Bus Association Marketplace in January. At these two large industry events, the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau joins a contingent of Alaska communities and businesses to meet directly with national tour operators.

Prior to these conventions, we research companies and target operators who are doing business in Alaska, or that have indicated they plan on coming to Alaska in the future. A computerized scheduling system then matches the tour operators with the destination marketing organization for highly qualified appointments.

In a 10-minute appointment at the National Tour Association convention, for example, I’ll highlight the many things a tour operator may not know about our area, point out potential new attractions and locations for their itineraries, and listen to their needs. If they specialize in adventure travel, I recommend local businesses that can fit that need - a rafting business, hiking guides and more. The operators have clients that are very specialized - some may cater to adventure seekers, some may offer luxury tours, some may need logistics for a group of 65 while the next operator may only have six people.

Following these conventions, I follow up with the tour operators, based on our conversations and my notes. I also follow up with many of the local tourism businesses the operators ask about. In just two, four-day conventions, the Mat-Su CVB will have met with more than 50 group tour operators, which provide their service to thousands of visitors to Alaska annually. Getting the tour operators excited about our destination and all that we have to offer is the crucial first step, and this is accomplished at the two large conventions.

For the Mat-Su Valley, the cruise industry is akin to the airlines - they provide transportation to Southcentral Alaska. From that point, it’s our job to get them off the boat and around the area. Chances are, once they see the beauty of the area, they’ll already be researching their next Alaska vacation.

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