Tourists from Wyoming window shop in downtown Anchorage on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2022.
“After a couple of years not traveling, some people have decided they were going to go big this year,” Saupe said. “There is pent-up demand, people have been at home saving money, and Alaska checks off what people are looking for: wide open spaces, beautiful scenery and broad horizons.” Still, the tourism industry in Anchorage added back thousands of jobs in leisure and hospitality since 2020, some of the strongest growth of any sector in Anchorage, though still shy of 2019 levels, Visit Anchorage said.]
But the demand for travel also meant that to date, Salmon Berry has had its best year ever, she said. Bookings are looking strong through October too, she said.