Visit Anchorage Annual Report

2021 In Review

Anchorage made gains in 2021 year largely because state and local grant relief programs kept tourism businesses on their feet through tough times, and also fueled a robust domestic marketing program during travel’s rebound. Funds from the federal CARES and ARPA packages flowed to Alaska. Through state and locally-directed grants, Anchorage was able to field a big marketing push and foster a travel recovery.

COVID loomed large at the start of 2021, with intent to travel rising and falling with surges. In February of 2021, Canada banned cruise ships from its waters, effectively eliminating the 40% of visitors Anchorage typically sees from cross-gulf cruises in a year. And yet, because of the up-front investment in marketing, and the summer rebound in domestic independent travel, Anchorage far outpaced 2020 performance, even nearing – but not equaling – 2019 benchmarks. A full recap of 2021 was presented as part of the Report to the Community presented on February 3, 2022.

2022 Outlook

Anchorage anticipates continued regrowth above 2021 levels, though COVID remains in the drivers seat, and could upend projections. A host of new issues - workforce shortages, supply delays, and rising costs among them - could also hamper business and put artificial caps on the ability to serve a larger number of visitors or reap the full rewards from travel and tourism as more people feel comfortable traveling again.

Independent travelers will continue to be a critical majority of visitation to Anchorage, and we anticipate the return of cruise passengers to Southcentral Alaska for the first time in two years. There is pent-up demand for travel, stated desire for Alaska's type of products, experiences, and offerings, and - particularly encouraging - stated interest and intent to travel for Alaska and Anchorage specifically. Anchorage can expect robust air capacity, with direct flights from key markets.