Preliminary analysis of hotel bed tax receipts around the state coupled with the mid-year data from Alaska's international airports shows a positive trend in the travel sector in 2011. These figures are the most insightful indicator of current tourism activity, though they do not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state visitors.
Bed taxes are collected for short-term hotel visits in Alaska's three largest communities of Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Mat-Su Borough. All three report positive increases in tax collections in the last 12 months compared to the same prior period.
Anchorage numbers are reported on a quarterly basis. For the last reported year from July of 2010 to June of 2011, room tax collections totaled $20.3 million compared to $18.9 million for the same prior four quarters. This is an increase of 7.5%. Municipal officials confirmed the tax rate remained constant during this time.
For the same 12 month period in the city of Fairbanks there was a 2.6% increase in taxes collected. The Mat-Su Borough reports bed tax collections by fiscal year, which ended in July of 2011. They reported a 4.7% increase over the fiscal year 2010 figures.
Supporting these numbers are recent passenger statistics from the Anchorage and Fairbanks international airports. They track the number of enplaned, deplaned and in-transit passengers. The two airports together increased 3.7% in the volume of passengers between the state fiscal year 2011 and 2010 levels. The state runs on a July to June fiscal year. Anchorage had an increase of 4.1% while Fairbanks grew 1.9%.
The report also counts the number of passenger aircraft that landed, which was up 3.6% in both Anchorage and Fairbanks. The number of cargo aircraft landed was up 5% in Anchorage, but declined 4.8% in Fairbanks in fiscal year 2011.
The State of Alaska Department of Commerce typically puts out a comprehensive report on the economic impact of the tourism industry for the prior year in March. The last report showed 1.5 million visitors between May and September of 2010. This was a 6% decline in the number of summer visitors between 2009 and 2010. This was attributable to an 11% decline in cruise ship passengers in 2010. It was the third consecutive year of total summer visitor declines after peaking at 1.7 million in 2007.
In July of 2011 the Department of Commerce produced a Fall/Winter update focusing on the period between October of 2010 and April of 2011. It reported 244,100 visitors, a 3% increase from the prior year. 95% of the Fall/Winter visitors exit Alaska by air transportation, compared to 46% in the busier summer season. 49% of summer visitors exit by cruise ship and the highway and ferry account for only 5% in both seasons.
The increase in bed tax reciepts in Alaska's three largest communities, the higher volume of passengers at the international airports and positive growth in winter 2011 visitor numbers all signal an improving travel sector in Alaska this year.
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