The Alaska Travel Industry Association, along with Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, presented a three-part webinar series — “Learn How You Can Sell Alaska This Summer” — to provide travel agents with information about selling the destination.
During each of the three webinars, suppliers offered product information and valuable tools to help travel advisors plan dream Alaska vacations for clients in 2021.
“In [2020], we told you Alaska will wait for you, so dream now and travel later,” said Mike Dunlevy, Governor of Alaska, in a video message. “Today, I’m asking you to start planning, because Alaska wants to welcome you back. It will be the year to roam big, wander free, and discover more.”
I’m asking you to start planning, because Alaska wants to welcome you back. It will be the year to roam big, wander free, and discover more.
The first session included presentations from Tanya Carlson, director of partnerships for Travel Alaska; Scott Habberstad, director of sales and community marketing – Alaska for Alaska Airlines; Tracy Zadra, sales account executive for Alaska Railroad; Ed Malen, tourism senior sales manager for Explore Fairbanks; Dan Blanchard, CEO of UnCruise Adventures; and Dawn Campbell, tourism sales manager for Visit Anchorage.
The second session’s partners were Jillian Simpson, vice president of Travel Alaska; Danielle Doyle, marketing manager of Alaska Marine Highway; and Kara Tetley, destination marketing for Travel Juneau; as well as Habberstad, Zadra and Campbell.
Finally, partners for the third session were Zakary Kirkpatrick, director of marketing and public Relations for Alaskan Dream Cruises; Patti Makay, president and CEO for Visit Ketchikan; Cody Jennings, tourism director for Explore Skagway; and Carlson, Doyle, and Tetley.
"So, what do people come to Alaska for?" Campbell asked during session one. "Well, glaciers, of course, wildlife, history and native culture, and active adventure are all very high on the list."
The webinar series touched on all these — and more.
Glaciers
According to Carlson, there are more than 100,000 glaciers in Alaska, so it’s no surprise that glaciers are a “must-see” for many travelers.
Alaska Railroad provides views of Alaska’s scenery that can’t be seen any other way – especially from the Goldstar second-level outdoor viewing platforms. Plus, Zadra notes, commissionable and customizable multi-day travel packages and day-trip trains also offer exclusive access to some of the state’s most popular sights.
“Our Glacier Discovery Train [departing daily from Anchorage] is a day-trip train all about exploring glaciers,” she said. “One of the highlights is visiting Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop — a beautiful exclusive playground just for Alaska Rail passengers.”
On May 14, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would allow larger cruise ships taking clients between Washington and Alaska to operate as early as this summer.
But until then, the absence of large ships may also have clients concerned they won’t be able to take a helicopter to a glacier (a popular cruise excursion), but glacier flightseeing and landing tours will depart this summer from Anchorage, Girdwood, Seward and Juneau. For clients who want to walk on a glacier but forgo the helicopter, guided hikes of Matanuska Glacier allow them to keep their feet on the ground.
Hiking on Matanuska Glacier is one of several popular activities for visitors to Alaska.
Credit: 2021 Visit AnchorageWildlife
Seeing Alaska’s wildlife is high on everyone’s list, and there are many opportunities to spot them, including wildlife cruises in Kenai Fjords National Park — where clients can see orcas and migrating whales — or bear viewing at Katmai & Lake Clark National Park.
For guaranteed wildlife sightings, Campbell recommends the 200-acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center south of Girdwood or the Alaska Zoo. Clients can see all the Alaskan animals at this unique zoo located in an arboreal forest, plus sub-arctic species such as snow leopards, Siberian tigers and even a polar bear.
Plus, the city of North Pole (just 15 minutes from Fairbanks) is one of the few places to snap a selfie with reindeer.
A visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center gives guests a chance to spot some of the local animals that call Alaska home.
Credit: 2021 Visit AnchorageHistory and Native Culture
Clients interested in learning about Alaska’s history and native culture can visit The Anchorage Museum — with more than 10,000 years of history in one location — and The Alaska Native Heritage Center, which features live demonstrations of native arts, games, song and dance.
Another opportunity to learn about Alaska's native culture is on Alaskan Dream Cruises itineraries that visit villages in remote locations.
“As an Alaska native-owned company, Alaska native villages are a really important part of our itineraries,” Kirkpatrick said. “We call in places most people have never heard of, like Kake and Kasaan, to experience this inspiring native culture.”
Those who want to know more about Alaska’s rich gold rush history — and, of course, pan for gold — can visit Independence Gold Mine in Palmer or Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway.
Travelers can experience the days of the gold rush by panning for gold in Palmer or Skagway, Alaska.
Credit: 2021 Visit AnchorageActive Adventure
Until large ships return to Alaska this summer, small ships are still a viable option for clients looking for unique opportunities to get “up close and personal” with the Alaska wilderness, said UnCruise’s Blanchard. He notes that clients who aren’t looking for extreme activities will love the intimate experience.
“Adventure means different things to different people … but UnCruise covers all groups of people,” he said. “The message to clients used to large ships … is there’s a small business that takes small groups on adventures [in] the wilds of Alaska – and the connection is extraordinary.”
“Basecamp Itineraries” (which include booking clients in a city with day trips for "must-do" adventure activities) is a great alternative to cruising. Clients can take floatplanes from Anchorage’s Lake Hood to Denali National Park, participate in boat tours to Tracy Arm from downtown Juneau, or go on Aurora hunting tours out of Fairbanks to search for Northern Lights.
In addition to the information and resources presented during the webinars — all three of which can be accessed on TravelAge West's website — Travel Alaska offers a destination training program just for travel advisors as well as a section of their website dedicated to the travel trade.
