Tourism industry urges bigger marketing appropriation; requests up to $10M for ATIA

Business leaders told the Senate Finance Committee that sustained state marketing is critical to Alaska's tourism industry and to generating out‑of‑state revenue.

Jordan Sanford, president of Duayan Tourism, told the committee tourism "generates $5,600,000,000 in economic impact and supports 48,000 jobs statewide," and said Alaska is outspent by competing destinations. Sanford urged inclusion of strong tourism marketing funding in the FY27 budget to maintain visibility and visitor flows.

Wade Binkley, president of Riverboat Discovery in Fairbanks, said last year's $5,000,000 appropriation was vetoed to $2,500,000 and requested $10,000,000 for ATIA in the capital budget to help Alaska remain competitive. Binkley said tourism returned $181 million in state revenue in 2024 and described tourism as a source of entry‑level jobs and workforce development.

No appropriation vote was taken; witnesses framed the request as an investment in private‑sector jobs and state general fund revenue generated by visitors.