The State of Alaska recently released visitor statistics from the summer of 2011 (May 1 through September 30). The executive summary highlighted the following statistics:
- An estimated 1.56 million people visited Alaska last summer, with 57% arriving by cruise ship, 39% by air, and 4% by highway/ferry.
- Visitors spent a total of $1.5 billion, not including their transportation to and from Alaska, down 1% from 2006 (in inflation-adjusted dollars, the decline is 13%)
- The number of visitors was up 2% for 2010, but still below the 2007 peak of 1.71 million visitors.
- The air market appears to have recovered from the recession, but cruise visits are still well below peak levels.
- Southeast Alaska saw 68% of the total visitors; however because that region of the state attracts the majority of cruise ship passengers, only 10% of total visitors stayed overnight in Southeast
- Southcentral Alaska had 56% of overall visitors and 49% of overnight visitors
- Interior Alaska had about the same proportion of overall and overnight visitors, at about 33%
- 36% of visitors came from the Western U.S., 22% from the South, 14% from the Midwest and 11% from the East Coast - the rest came from Canada and other international locations
- Nearly three-quarters of Alaska visitors are over the age of 45
Tourism data was collected as part of the Alaska Visitors Statistics program, and includes a wide range of information about the type of people who visit Alaska as well as their spending habits, activity preferences, and satisfaction with their Alaska visit. Read the full report (4.6 mb) here.
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