Tag Archives: Discover Kodiak

On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we talk to executive director Sarah Phillips, from the Chamber of Commerce, and executive director Aimee Williams, from Discover Kodiak, about how local businesses are continuing to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss a new survey to measure the hit to Kodiak’s economy, and what residents can do to help keep local …

Both the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce and Discover Kodiak are closed, in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community. However, as both organizations explained on today’s edition of The Lowdown, they’re still working to support local businesses, many of whom are struggling during the pandemic. Sarah Phillips, executive director at the Chamber, said that while their …

On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we talked to executive directors Sarah Phillips, from the Chamber of Commerce, and Aimee Williams from Discover Kodiak. Even though both offices are closed, Phillips and Williams are still working to support local businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chamber is offering help with applying for federal small business loans. Discover Kodiak is …

Cruise ship season starts next week in Kodiak, and this year will bring a relatively big crowd to the island. Aimee (AIM-ee) Williams, Executive Director at Discover Kodiak, says 30 ships are scheduled to dock in Kodiak between May 7 and September 20, up from just 19 ships last year. That’s as many as 29,000 visitors total over the course …

A recent early morning fog at Kodiak high school. Kayla Desroches / KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT Weather is one of the tourism industry’s biggest foes in Alaska. Wind, rain, and fog can often determine whether a plane takes off. And, in Kodiak, it’s common for a commercial flight to turn around and head back to Anchorage if conditions aren’t favorable for …

Mitch Borden/KMXT Discover Kodiak recently hired a new executive director. After almost five years, the local tourist bureau’s former executive director Chastity McCarthy decided to step down so she could move to Arkansas to be closer to family. When Aimee Williams heard that Discover Kodiak would be looking for someone to fill McCarthy’s position, she was excited. Williams said,“I always …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Discover Kodiak just officially released an interactive map which enables adventurers to see the Kodiak  trails before they hike them, as well as the elevation. Trail Genius, a company made up of couple Jason Manders and Amanda Campbell, came to Kodiak this summer to record the island’s most popular trails in real-time. Now, those trails are up and …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT An upcoming rural tourism summit will gather people together from all ends of the island to brainstorm how to incorporate the communities into island tourism. Discover Kodiak Executive Director Chastity McCarthy says that could mean more camp sites, expanded ferry service, or day tours to the villages. But, she says, the forum is a chance for communities to …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Destination Marketing Accreditation Program just gave the nonprofit tourism organization Discover Kodiak its endorsement. Chastity McCarthy, executive director of Discover Kodiak, says Destination Marketing Association International hosts the program. “It’s an accreditation that any destination marketing organization around the globe can apply for and basically it’s a yearlong or more process that kind of gives you this …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT At its regular meeting last night, the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly granted Discover Kodiak money to support general operations and two special projects, but some assembly members questioned whether or not money from the tourism fund might be more evenly doled out. Discover Kodiak provides destination marketing and tourism development for the city and borough. Executive Director Chastity …