Fairbanks’ tourism bureau expresses concern over March visitor numbers

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - As the summer tourism season kicks off in interior Alaska, lower-than-normal visitor numbers in March are leading to concern that this year will see a downturn in the important industry.

“We’ve heard from some of our partners, our hoteliers, smaller tour companies, you know, their bookings are down for this coming summer season,” said Scott McCrea, President and CEO of Explore Fairbanks, a Fairbanks tourism facilitator and 501(c)6 non-profit organization that works to market the Interior as a year-round destination for both domestic and international tourists.

While data from April is not available yet, McCrea said numbers for March are down in all areas the non-profit tracks, when compared to March 2024.

“That’s airport numbers, that’s railroad numbers, that’s visitation here at the Morris Thompson Center, that’s numbers from the hotel,” he said.

McCrea expressed uncertainty about what the industry might see in the coming months.

“There’s a lot of issues that are out there on the federal level that are negatively impacting the tourism industry,” he said, mentioning federal layoffs, international tensions with Canada and other visiting nations, tariffs, and the economy in general as factors.

“There’s a lot of data out there that’s showing within, like, domestic travelers, people are being a little more cautious about how much money they’re spending on traveling,” McCrea explained, and this, he said, may lead travelers to stick closer to home for their vacations, instead of heading to Fairbanks, which can be comparatively expensive as a destination.

Impacts from any slowdown of tourism, according to McCrea, would be felt in the peak industry months of July and August.

“Here in Fairbanks, it’s a significant part of the local economy,” he said. “About 7,700 jobs within the Fairbanks North Star Borough are attributed to the leisure and hospitality industry.”

The cruise industry, however, may be looking at a record year, said McCrea, who pointed out that bookings on cruises are often made months in advance, and that it is unclear whether passengers’ spending — once in Fairbanks — would be affected by economic uncertainty.

Among the most popular attractions in Fairbanks, which acts both as a destination and as a stop in the road on statewide journeys, are the Riverboat Discovery, Pioneer Park, the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, and the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“About 40% of our visitors are those who are coming by way of cruise ship going to Seward or Whittier,” McCrea said, ”and they’re doing a land tour package that includes Fairbanks in their itinerary."

The Arctic Circle and Denali National Park are popular nearby destinations.

During the summer, Fairbanks also hosts Midnight Sun events in June and Golden Days in July, but according to McCrea, winter is not far behind in popularity.

In any case, tourists have already begun making their way to the Golden Heart City for the summer season.

On Friday, Laura and Terry Hill from Florida wandered around Pioneer Park, having arrived in Fairbanks on Wednesday for a tour with Royal Caribbean.

“We came a couple days early so we could tool around on our own and see local spots like this,” Laura explained.

After Fairbanks, their trip will take them to Denali, ultimately bringing them to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, among other spots.

About Alaska, Terry said, “We’ve heard so much and it has far exceeded our expectations. This is just the most beautiful place.”

See a spelling or grammatical error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.