Going global

Next month, Icelandair begins its second year of nonstop service to Alaska from Reyjkavik, which bolsters international visitation to Alaska. This route is important because it gives European visitors easier access to Alaska than in the past.

Initially, a strong effort was made by the state and Visit Anchorage to build relationships with Icelandair to attract its business. With the airline committing to flying the route, work then began on furthering relationships with tour operators that could take advantage of this route. After a successful first year, Icelandair has expanded its flights to Anchorage going into the second year of the route.

Last summer during the first year of operation, the state of Alaska, in conjunction with destination marketing organizations such as the Mat-Su CVB, Visit Anchorage and Explore Fairbanks, hosted several familiarization trips for tour operators from Scandinavia, German-speaking Europe and the United Kingdom. These are imperative because it leads to future business with these operators.

In February, the Mat-Su CVB attended the Mid-Atlantic Seminar in Reykjavik, hosted by Icelandair. There was a strong contingent from Alaska, where we met with these tour operators and continued building relationships that lead to more Alaska tour packages. The Mat-Su Valley was very well represented, with businesses such as Talkeetna Roadhouse, Knik River Lodge, K2 Aviation and the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge taking appointments with operators.

This kind of investment lends itself to economic development throughout the tourism industry in the Mat-Su Valley, and through indirect spending, the economy as a whole. By having a strong and unified presence at the Mid-Atlantic Seminar, we highlighted the Valley as a “must-visit” for the tour operators’ packages. They are more apt to include Talkeetna in their itineraries, for example, because the operators have built relationships with not only the Mat-Su CVB, but also representatives from these businesses. Better yet, they may have had the opportunity to experience what the Mat-Su Valley has to offer during a familiarization trip.

Financially, this is vitally important. According to the state’s Alaska Visitor Statistics Program, international visitors tend to stay longer and spend more money per day than their domestic counterparts. Because of the investment in marketing to these visitors, and by having such a strong Mat-Su presence with the tour operators, we are very optimistic we’ll see a growth in international visitation from Europe this summer.

This summer, if you see visitors from Europe, stop and thank them for traveling to Alaska and visiting the Mat-Su Valley. Their spending in our communities is a big boost for not only the tourism industry, but the Mat-Su economy as a whole.

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