South Denali would be a boom for tourism

MAT-SU — The prospect of a South Denali Visitor Center is an exciting one for the tourism industry in the Mat-Su Valley, and steps are being taken to make it a reality.

Alaska State Parks has secured funding for Phase 1 of the project, which includes the design and construction of an access road to the base transportation hub and other amenities. Phase II would include expanding the road to Curry Ridge, and the construction of a year-round visitor center facility with spectacular sweeping views of the Alaska Range. The state received $3 million for the design of the center, and design work is proceeding throughout 2011 and into 2012.

“We’re very excited about this project because it would benefit the entire Mat-Su Borough,” said Bonnie Quill, executive director of the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau. “South Denali is within the borough’s border, and it would be a crown jewel for visitation.”

The state has also received an access road right-of-way from United Companies Inc., a subsidiary of the Sea Lion Native Corp. The right-of-way gives the state a better route to access the South Denali area, with gentler grades and less impact on the surroundings.

According to an economic impact study performed by the University of Alaska, the development of a South Denali Visitor Center would generate between $17.8 million and $44 million in visitor expenditures, including related employment, additional hotel facilities and more. The university study also suggests a range between a 10 percent increase in visitors staying an additional half-day in the borough to a 20 percent increase in visitors staying an additional day, and a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in three-day, two-night land tours.

“The return on investment for this project is extraordinary,” Quill said. “Not only with direct spending, but in indirect spending as well. Lodges that have more visitors need to spend more on food, more on supplies, more on electricity and so on. Every sector of the Mat-Su Borough tourism industry would see a benefit, and those who aren’t in the tourism industry would benefit as well.”

The state has taken key decision makers to the site on Curry Ridge in the last year, trying to gain support for funding of the entire project.

“This site is just beautiful,” said David Griffin, the project manager and a Natural Resource Specialist with the state of Alaska, during a recent tour of the site. “There is a lot of potential for infrastructure development, including the creation of trails, which would add to the draw of a visitor center here.”

For more information on the project, interested people can visit southdenali.alaska.gov. Status reports, planning documents and more can be found at the site.

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