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House Votes $6 Million for Tourism Support
HB 359 Seeks to Mitigate 9/11 Damage to Visitor Industry

(JUNEAU) – The House today took action to bolster an important element of the state's economy, voting to appropriate $6 million in emergency marketing funds to help deliver the message that Alaska is an enjoyable, affordable and safe vacation destination.

House Bill 359, sponsored by the House Finance Committee, would appropriate the funds to the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) to boost its marketing efforts and revitalize the state's visitor industry, suffering significantly lower bookings for the year in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

"While businesses understand and can prepare for the normal ups and downs of the business cycles, no industry could have predicted the tragedy that struck our nation on Sept. 11," said Rep. Eldon Mulder (R-Anchorage), co-chair of the House Finance Committee. "Tourism is one of the state's most important industries, and we are helping the state by helping the industry ride out this emergency."

Reduced numbers of visitors to Alaska in 2002 would mean lost jobs and reduced revenues in many areas of the economy, Mulder said. Without significant efforts to shore up trust in Alaska as a safe tourist destination, the state could experience economic damage that far outweighed $6 million; in reduced visitor tax revenues and in increased cost for unemployment benefits, social services and other government programs.

HB 359 passed the House after many representatives spoke passionately from the floor of their support for the vital role the visitor industry plays in Alaska, and their concern that the industry deserved assistance in a time of emergency. The House took the measure up early in the session so the ATIA could reach travelers still contemplating their 2002 vacation plans, and persuade them to consider coming to Alaska.

With the House doing its part by providing resources to boost Alaska tourism, Mulder suggested the governor could do his part by extending his national travels in support of political goals to include a few stops along the West Coast to support one of the state's most important industries.

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