Tourism, a low-impact, renewable resource, deserves support

Frontiersman editorial board

Gov. Frank Murkowski visited Wasilla Tuesday to announce his signature of the 2005 state budget and to discuss where he feels the state is headed.

Resources, Murkowski said, will continue to be the backbone of Alaska's economy. He increased Department of Natural Resources staff by 25 new positions in an effort to find new sources of natural resources.

"Job number one is to develop our resources," Murkowski said.

In nearly the next breath, Murkowski joked that his administration had survived 57 "howl-ins," protests from members of the tourism and animal rights community seeking to reverse a decision allowing from-air shooting of about 40 wolves in the McGrath area to increase moose populations in the area.

"And tourism is having a pretty good summer," Murkowski added.

Some would say the tourism numbers are high despite Murkowski's efforts. With several state parks shut down last summer after operational funding was cut, and road construction projects placed on hold this year in Anchorage, the Valley and around the state, tourists visiting Alaska on their own are having more difficulty navigating the state, and Alaska residents are growing frustrated with congestion and the loss of relied-upon services.

Alaska has a resource-based economy -- that's not likely to change. And, because the state is rich in resources, it behooves Alaskans to turn those resources into cash in a responsible manner. But not at the expense of other resources, such as tourism.

It was disappointing to see $700,000 in funding cut to the Alaska Travel Industry Association. In a state that depends heavily -- both locally and statewide -- on tourism dollars, it's disappointing to see one industry sacrificed for the sake of another. Doubly frustrating is that, numerous times in the 2003 and 2004 legislative sessions, taxes tapping the state's tourism economy have been proposed. ATIA has lobbied hard to preserve its marketing funding and to fend off efforts by legislators and the administration to pick "low-hanging fruit," or tourism-related taxes that would be levied without a guarantee of using that revenue for increased tourism marketing.

Natural resources, no matter their abundance, will eventually run out. Tourism is a renewable resource that has a lot of potential for creating new industry in Alaska. Maybe it's time to recognize its important role in the future of the state.