Unbiased vacationers pour into Anchorage as summer season tourism season begins

Cyrus Aldeman, President of Anchorage Trolley Tours. (Abbey Collins / Alaska Public Media)

On a warm spring day, a breeze blew through the open windows of one of Anchorage’s famous red trolleys as it led a few dozen visitors on a tour of the city.

Donna McCarrey, guide for Anchorage Trolley Tours, began the ride by thanking the car full of people for choosing to visit after a difficult 2020. Then she pointed out the Alaska Range.

Alaska’s summer tourism season is taking shape. Large cruise lines have just got the green light to sail into state waters again. At the same time, independent travelers are already diving in South Central. Some local tour operators say that they are the visitors to focus on this year.

Cyrus Aldeman is President of Anchorage Trolley Tours. It is a family business that his father founded in 1995. On a typical summer day, Aldeman can be found on the sidewalk on Fourth Avenue, where the trolleys load and greet customers and anyone else who passes by. He said downtown Anchorage was full of excitement right now.

“Everyone is so excited to see the tourists again. Because they bring hope. They bring their energy, they bring their excitement, ”he said. “Everyone is really happy that the guests are coming back.”

Like many tourism companies across the state, 2020 left Anchorage Trolley Tours with reduced operations and a difficult financial situation. Aldeman said they made it through well thanks to careful financial planning and funding from the state paycheck protection program.

The cars stopped operating on August 1 last year due to pandemic concerns. However, when Aldeman’s birthday resumed operations at the beginning of May, he was able to bring all of his employees back after nine months.

On May 24, 2021, guests step out of a car to enjoy the view of Denali. (Abbey Collins / Alaska Public Media)

Now Aldeman said that this year they will focus on serving independent travelers – anyone not coming on a cruise ship or as part of an organized tour.

Although cruises are planning to return to Alaska later this summer, Southcentral ports are not currently on the schedule. That means fewer people, but Aldeman says that’s fine.

“We will be carrying fewer passengers, but we will create just as many memories.”

According to Jim Szczesniak, manager of Ted Stevens International Airport, 261,919 passengers landed at the airport in April. That’s a staggering 485% more than the same time last year when the pandemic began to disrupt life in Alaska, but well below pre-pandemic norms. Nevertheless, the travel industry and its onlookers are planning a busy summer.

Mouhcine Guettabi is an economist at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

“This season is unlike any other in that we have seen this surge in independent travelers,” said Guettabi. “Hopefully this is the beginning of something that will last.”

While the return of the cruise industry to Alaska “is clearly good news,” Guettabi said it was unclear how much help it will provide to the Anchorage economy this summer. Independent travelers, while boosting the economy, can’t keep up with a full cruise schedule, he said.

“I don’t think this season will be anywhere near pre-pandemic levels given the delay in decision making and the concerns we have been addressing,” Guettabi said. “I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere near that.”

It appears that most large ships are planning trips to the Inside Passage in the southeast this summer – not Southcentral.

Russ Reno, owner of the Anchorage Downtown Tour Group, said he was okay with that.

“I know people like Juneau and Ketchikan and Skagway and Seward and Whittier are dying to get those ships back,” Reno said. “But personally, I might not care if you come back because we are targeting an independent traveler and that’s where we really get our big business.”

Reno expects a really good season. He said the number of customers has already increased.

“Our January winter is just bloated,” he said. “I’ve never seen so many record numbers in January, February and March as this year.”

Tour guide Donna McCarrey pulls on her mask as she gets on the cart (Abbey Collins / Alaska Public Media)

Reno said the number of people who have already booked summer trips was at an all-time high, a milestone he attributed to independent travelers.

“I’m short of staff,” said Reno. “I’m going crazy trying to handle the number of bookings we are currently getting every day.”

Back on the trolley, Layth Alman happily rides on the afternoon tour. One of those independent travel companies that so much is talked about, he’s from Florida and looks forward to being in Alaska, even for a few days.

“All of the people here are lovely, kind, calm people,” Alman said. “And Alaska – it surprised me – has a lot of activities too.”

At the end of the ride he even saw a moose. Hopefully it’s a good omen: Alman’s tour may end, but Southcentral’s tourism industry is on its way to recreation.