Tourism represented 5 percent, or $1.5 billion of Alaska's gross revenues in 2003. Compared to the state's manufacturing, agricultural and oil production industries which represent 80 percent of the state's revenue, tourism commands a relatively small portion of the state's economic base. Yet more than 1.4 million people visit Alaska each year, providing employment for more than 25,000 people in the tourism sector.
The establishment of Mt. McKinley National Park and the increased use of the automobile in the early 20th century helped to kick-start tourism in Alaska. Still, it wasn't until the end of World War II that tourism emerged as a viable industry in Alaska. The construction of the Alaska-Canada Highway, or ALCAN, in 1942, and descriptions of Alaska by returning soldiers piqued interest in its undeveloped beauty. With the advent of the highway, vacationers were able to travel to Anchorage and by car and venture into regions yet unexplored by tourists. Still, driving the ALCAN is nothing like driving the Interstate in the lower 48. Road conditions and weather continue to dominate road travel, particularly in remote areas. Tourism via Alaska's most developed road system is still limited primarily to warm weather seasons.
The introduction of the Alaska Marine Highway in 1963 not only opened Alaska to increased commercial shipping, but ushered in new opportunities for tourism. Fifty percent of the tourism Alaska experienced in 2003 arrived by cruise ship. The Marine Highway is supported by federal funding, as it provides access to towns and villages in Alaska that are not reachable by land. British Columbia's provincial ferry system and private cruise ships service Alaska's West Coast, providing an essential link for the state's growing tourism trade.
Improved access to transportation, along with an increasing concern about the country's dwindling environmental resources has increased public interest in Alaska's ecological attractions. Alaska commands more than two-thirds of the national parklands in the United States, and its resources are governed in part by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (1980), which was responsible for expanding protection for millions of square acres of forest land and rivers across the state. It also indirectly increased notoriety of Alaska ecological attractions such as Denali National Park.
Native American tourism is an emerging sector of the industry, not only in Alaska, but throughout the United States and Canada. Public awareness of Native American culture, traditions, land rights and history has generated increased interest in Native American communities in Alaska. Attractions that are operated by Native communities in the country's most northern state range from sightseeing tours in southeastern Alaska to prominent museums, such as the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.
