Visit Anchorage has released an updated snapshot of Anchorage travelers in summer. The report is based on a survey fielded through the Anchorage airport's public Wi-Fi. The survey provides insights on traveler origins, demographics, activities, and spending.
"This is a window into who our travelers are, what they do, how they stay, and how much they spend in the community," said Jack Bonney, Visit Anchorage's VP of Communications. "This is really valuable information for us as we market our destination to the next crop of likely Anchorage travelers, and it helps local businesses better understand their customers as well."
This is the second year of the research program. Among the updated findings:
The majority of Anchorage travelers are from the U.S., but international travel accounts for approximately 17% of summer visitors. While there are continued concerns about international travel inbound to the United States, Anchorage did not see any significant change in international visitation in summer 2025. Canada remains Anchorage's largest non-U.S. market for travelers, followed by Australia, UK, Germany, Mexico, China, and Japan in roughly descending order.
Anchorage travelers are younger than they used to be, and more are traveling with children under the age of 18. The average age of an Anchorage visitor is 49, and 16% report traveling with children. While there's a shift to younger travelers, one thing remains constant: the average Anchorage visitor has a higher household income, averaging $152,000.
"A trip to Alaska is still a big trip. But the notion of putting off a visit until retirement have started to shift," said Bonney. "People with the means to travel are more likely to go big and make the trip now. It's up to us to educate them. Anchorage is closer than they imagine and more attainable than they might have it in their minds."
Only a third of leisure travelers include a cruise on their Anchorage trip. Cruisers are a significant but minority portion of Anchorage's summer visitors. Most cruisers on routes that include Anchorage (typically by starting or ending the voyage in Seward or Whittier) spend a significant amount of time in Anchorage. Among cruise visitors, only 21% said they were on a cruise-only tour. Most either include a land package through their cruise line (37%) or travel independently (43%).
Traveler spending in Anchorage averaged $2,240 per party, up year-over-year, with vacationers spending slightly more than than compared to business travelers and those visiting friends and relatives. The average traveler spends 2.8 nights in Anchorage as part of a trip to Alaska that averages around 8 nights total.
The survey at the Anchorage airport continues in 2026, with updates expected for non-summer months as well as summer 2026.
View the full Anchorage summer 2025 visitor report online.
