Travel Industry Board Meets in Kodiak

Jay Barrett/KMXT

Most of the Alaska Travel Industry Association board of directors are in Kodiak for a two-day retreat. Ron Peck is the president and chief operating officer of the A-T-I-A.

— (ATIA 1 39 sec "The ATIA board of … for the next year.")

He said 21 of the 24 board members are in Kodiak, along with some staff and industry partners. He said the island has a lot of potential as a tourist destination:

— (ATIA 2 32 sec "We believe there’s great … limited cruise experiences.")

Peck says Alaska, like Hawaii, is a long-haul destination and is competing for many of the same visitors. But, he says Alaska is at a disadvantage because of how little money is spent on marketing the state as a tourist destination:

— (ATIA 3 25 sec "Alaska, about 2-million … internationally and nationally.")

He says the state tourism industry has been hit by the recession in the Lower 48, but in the last legislative session the ATIA was given a one-time boost in marketing funds:

— (ATIA 4 21 sec "We firmly believe that Alaska … stronger marketing effort.")

He says the funding boost for this fiscal year was about $7-million. The ATIA board will be meeting through Wednesday at the new Harbor Convention Center.

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