Valley tourism report for 2016 released

The Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau has released its report on the economic impact of tourism in the Valley in 2016.

The report, which was prepared by the McDowell Group, uses numbers from the Alaska Visitor Statistics Program, as well as other reports to determine how many out-of-state visitors came to the borough, and how much they spent.

In total, the report states that nearly 350,000 people from Outside visited the Mat-Su in 2016. The most popular destination was Talkeetna, with 239,000 visitors. Palmer and Wasilla saw a total of 174,000, and about 20,000 went to other places. Note that the numbers will add up to more than the total visitor figure, since many people visit more than one place in the Valley.

According to the report, direct tourism spending was nearly $100 million in 2016, and accounted for 1,350 jobs. The total economic impact of that spending is higher, however, since Valley residents receiving that money will spend some of it near home.

The largest sector of tourism business in 2016 was food and beverage, followed closely by lodging and tours.

The borough bed tax generated over one-point-two million dollars in revenue last year. The majority of that money goes to the Mat-Su CVB for future tourism marketing, with the remainder going to the borough’s general fund.

A link to the complete report is posted online at KTNA.org.