Tourism was good for Mat-Su in 2024; 2025 expected to be the same

Tourism was good for the Mat-Su region in 2024, and 2025 looks to be repeat. That was the upbeat message to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough assembly from Casey Casey Ressler, president and CEO of the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Data gathered recently by the bureau showed visitors paid $2.3 million to the borough in hotel and motel bed tax revenue in 2024; $25.6 million was spent for short-term rentals during the year, a typical visitor spent $318 in the borough in various purchases; 22% of all restaurant spending and 22% of all retail spending was by visitors.

Restaurant spending in 2024 amounted to $102 per visitor. The average retail expenditure was $318 per visitor, according to the data.

Ressler said the data is now organized so that year-to-year comparisons can be made, so by next year 2025 spending data can be compared with 2024. That’s not possible for 2024 against 2023 but anecdotal evidence is that there were gains during the year.

One positive note is that the new visitor information center for the bureau will be in construction this year, assuming $6.7 million in federal funds for the project appear as expected.

Site work at the location along the Glenn Highway is scheduled to begin in March, Ressler said, and the building is to be complete by December. Steppers Construction of Wasilla is building the project. Interior work is to be done and exhibits installed in early spring in time for an opening next summer.

Meanwhile, Ressler and others involved in Mat-Su tourism are watching closely for any improvements in the winter snow condition, which is important for popular recreation like snowmobiling, dog sled tours and cross-country skiing.

So far this winter there is limited slow at least at lower elevations in areas accessible to most people.

This is also being watched for the start of the famous Iditarod sled dog race in early March. The race has a short ceremonial start in Anchorage but the real race begins in the Borough where mushers are timed as they depart on a 1,000-mile journey to Nome.

The Iditarod restart is typically in Willow and draws hundreds of visitors every year to the area. Iditarod officials have yet to announce if Willow will host the 2025, or if the event will have to be moved due to poor racing conditions.

Although snow conditions could be better at lower elevations there is plenty of snow higher up, and helicopter ski guides are doing a brisk business in the Knik area.

Right now, Ressler and others in Mat-Su tourism are busy with national conventions and meetings where they can promote the region to tour operators now planning their summer business.

There are eight meetings on Ressler’s near-term schedule, he said.

An interesting development is the increasing interest in winter tourism. About 25% of the inquiries received are now about winter visits asking about recreation and chances of seeing the aurora.