North America: 10 Hot Reasons to Book Alaska

10 Hot Reasons to Book Alaska By Paloma Villaverde de RicoONE1. Alaska offers so much—there’s truly something for everyone in your client base to do. Just think of the sheer size of this state—if you put a map of Alaska over a map of the lower 48 states, Alaska would stretch east to west from Savannah, Georgia to Los Angeles, and south to north from the Texas Panhandle to the top of North Dakota. To make it simpler to wrap one’s mind around it, divide the state into five regions: Southcentral, where glorious landscapes—from beaches to mountaintops to fjords—take your breath away; the Interior, home to mesmerizing Denali; the Arctic, where the wintertime Northern Lights dance above the snowy tundra; the Southwest, where the wild things live amidst Alaska’s islands, river deltas and mountains; and the Inside Passage in the southeastern part of the state, with its breathtaking rainforests and glaciers. Think beyond the obvious, too, because Alaska is not just a summer getaway. The state’s winter activities run the gamut, too, as you’ll see in entry #2. travelalaska.com/Travel-Trade22. UnCruise Adventures’ new 7-night Winter Sports & Northern Lights Adventures is set for a 2024 launch, running February to March. It will specialize in multi-activity winter sports options for guests paired with the winter months of Southeast Alaska, including a visit to Glacier Bay National Park, roundtrip from Juneau. Sailing on the 84-guest, 4-deck Safari Endeavour (2.5:1 guest-to-crew ratio), the itinerary will feature downhill skiing, heli-skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating and apres ski in Juneau. There’s also remote explorations of Glacier Bay National Park, Margerie, Johns Hopkins, Dawes, and Sawyer glaciers and the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights during long winter evenings. uncruise.com/account/login 33. Over in Juneau, Midgi Moore, founder/owner of Juneau Food Tours, has perfected the city’s food tours, offering everything from the 2.5-hour daytime A Tour with Taste walking tour to the 2-hour Prohibition Progressive Party. The latter opens a door to the secret history of Alaska’s bootleggers and features authentic Alaskan food, drinks, history and even a little jazz. One of the company’s newest tours is being marketed primarily to travel advisors: The Eat, Sip, Explore Jeep Adventure. Your clients will hit the road with a local guide on a customizable, door-to-door Juneau adventure, traveling off the beaten path to scenic areas most visitors don’t get to see. And they’ll get to try local Alaskan fare from Juneau’s best chefs and brewers. Knowing the importance of travel advisors, Moore offers a 20 percent commission on all booked experiences. juneaufoodtours.com44. Anchorage, the first stop on the Alaska Railroad journey, covers a plethora of activities (there are even fun ghost tours for a peek into the city’s history). The state’s largest city, and one of the world’s most northern cities, is home to the expansive Anchorage Museum—one of the best this museum-aficionado has ever toured—which delves magnificently into Alaska’s rich story, as well as the Alaska Native Heritage Center, with traditional native dwellings. Within Anchorage’s city limits, your clients can cycle on 100+ miles of bike path, explore dozens of parks and even go salmon fishing. In terms of accommodations, the 392-room and -suite Marriott Anchorage Downtown was recently renovated and the 146-room Aloft Anchorage opened in mid-2022. For a unique getaway, recommend a stay at Aleyska Resort, located in Girdwood, a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage. It’s home to Alaska’s first Nordic Spa, set amidst the scenery of the Chugach mountains and featuring hot and cold pools, saunas, steam rooms and an exfoliation cabin. anchorage.net55. The 2024 season marks the 55th anniversary for Princess Cruises sailing in Alaska. During this time, seven ships are scheduled to depart from four homeports, including San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C. and Anchorage (Whittier). The season includes 158 departures on 14 itineraries with 17 destinations, including five glacier viewing experiences. There’ll be 86 visits to Glacier Bay National Park, including on most of the Voyage of the Glaciers itineraries between Anchorage (Whittier) and Vancouver, B.C., and many Inside Passage voyages roundtrip from Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C. Take note: For guests looking to explore more of Alaska, Princess offers a variety of cruisetours combining the 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise—on Royal Princess, Sapphire Princess and Grand Princess—with an extended three to 10 nights on land, staying at the cruise line’s Princess Wilderness Lodges. All cruisetours include a visit to Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. Cruisetours also offer the opportunity to experience Princess’ Direct-to-Wilderness rail service, departing directly from the ship in Whittier all the way to the Denali area. And the 17-night Ultimate Princess Connoisseur cruisetour features two nights at each one of the five Princess Wilderness Lodges, on the doorsteps of these national parks: Kenai Fjords, Wrangell-St. Elias and Denali. princess.com/alaska66. John Hall’s Alaska’s new 11-day Alaska Bears & Bering Sea headlines the company’s 2023 season, with departures Aug. 31-Sept. 10. Setting off from Nome, the itinerary heads to Denali, Knik River and Kodiak for bear viewing and flightseeing experiences. Highlights of the trip include a journey on the Alaska Railroad’s GoldStar service in glass-dome cars; a Denali National Park wildlife tour; an exclusive dog sledding presentation at Dream a Dream kennel; viewing Kodiak brown bears on a flightseeing tour at Kodiak Wildlife Reserve; exploring World War II bunkers on a visit to historic Fort Abercrombie; and learning the state’s history in Anchorage, Nome and Kodiak on city tours or museum visits. Additionally, John Hall’s Alaska has launched new travel agent commission structure, website and booking enhancements (we’ve got all the details on recommend.com). kissalaska.com 77. Taking to the rails in Alaska is an adventure not to be missed, and to celebrate its centennial, Alaska Railroad has released a limited-edition itinerary: the 12-day Limited Edition: Centennial Special, available late May to early September of this year. It includes destinations all along the historic mainline, including time in Seward, Anchorage, the remote Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, Denali National Park and Preserve and Fairbanks. Clients will ride the Coastal Classic, Glacier Discovery and Denali Star trains the full length of Alaska Railroad’s historic main line; hop on a glacier and wildlife cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park; take a Spencer Glacier float trip; go on a Denali wildlife tour; and have access to the Anchorage Museum’s special exhibit, All Aboard: The Alaska Rail Centennial, celebrating the centennial of the Alaska Railroad. alaskarailroad.com88. With 16 different cruisetours in 2024, Holland America Line is offering your clients a chance to cruise in Alaska and discover its land-based beauties as well with one, two or three nights at Denali National Park. And those who want to explore farther into Canada can add a trip to the remote landscapes of the Yukon. Here’s a taste of what your clients will experience: Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam will offer Denali cruisetours ranging from nine to 14 days between Vancouver, Canada, and Anchorage or Fairbanks. Denali cruisetours include a 7-day Glacier Discovery cruise featuring Glacier Bay and Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, plus either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier (depending on the direction) and Inside Passage. The land side includes up to three nights at Holland America’s McKinley Chalet Resort at the entrance to Denali National Park. Meanwhile, the Yukon & Denali cruisetours range from nine to 18 days and include either a 3- or 4-day Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam or Zaandam, or a 7-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam, a 2- or 3-night stay at Denali and a journey into the Yukon. Nearly all Yukon & Denali cruisetours include a Gold Dredge 8 tour and many include a tour on the Klondike Spirit paddlewheeler, which takes guests along the Yukon River past tall pines, historic towns and wildlife. hollandamerica.com99. For those clients itching to head to Alaska this year recommend Alaskan Dream Cruises’ True Alaskan Family Cruise. The 6-day family adventure departs from Juneau on July 1st aboard the 49-passenger Admiralty Dream. The bon voyage experience includes an Alaska-style feast and beach bonfire at the company’s Orca Point Lodge. Then clients cruise through the scenic and pristine Tracy Arm and into the communities of Petersburg and Wrangell in time for July 4th events. The itinerary sails through glacial fjords and remote bays, perfect for exploration by kayak and skiff, and wildlife viewing and hiking are on offer. The itinerary is geared toward multi-generational groups and families and will feature onboard youth expedition leaders. All guests will have the chance to brave the Alaska waters and become a member of the Killer Whale Club. The cruise concludes in Sitka, the homeport of Alaskan Dream Cruises. alaskandreamcruises.com1010. The frontier community of Fairbanks, located in Alaska’s Interior, is home to 30,000 Alaskans and it’s here where one can discover the state’s gold rush history and explore the Museum of the North. There’s a ton of outdoor activities such as fishing, wildlife viewing, birdwatching and hiking. Fairbanks has three seasons—Midnight Sun (April 22-Aug. 20), Aurora (Aug. 21-April 21) and Winter—making it the ideal place to experience the Northern Lights, the midnight sun and sunsets and sunrises that last forever. For unique accommodations, look to Chena Hot Springs, Alaska’s only year-round natural hot springs resort. Here, guests can hop on a snow coach for aurora borealis viewing, visit the Aurora Ice Museum or go on a dog sled experience. And 15 minutes from Fairbanks, the A Taste of Alaska Lodge, with accommodations ranging from family suites to free-standing residences, spreads out over 200+ acres. Come wintertime, guests can go dog mushing or snowshoeing, while summer brings with it hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities. atasteofalaska.com10-1677607880

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