Updated TravelAlaska Website Emphasizes Cultural Tourism
Alaska Travel Industry Association
The Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) redesigned its TravelAlaska.com website to include expanded information on Alaska Native cultures and tourism opportunities.
Patterns and messaging from Alaska’s Indigenous cultures have been woven throughout the website:
- Welcome messages in different Alaska Native languages on the home page;
- Designs inspired by Alaska Native jewelry, blankets, knives, and more that were developed in partnership with an Alaska Native designer and ATIA’s Cultural Enrichment Subcommittee;
- Expanded sections of Alaska Native culture content, including a new Alaska Native Cultural Tours and Experiences page to highlight Alaska Native businesses and cultural experiences for travelers; and
- The addition of Alaska Native place names on community pages.
“Tribal inclusion is a real asset for ATIA with 229 federally recognized tribes in the state,” says Camille Ferguson, chair of ATIA’s Cultural Enrichment Committee and economic development director for Sitka Tribe of Alaska. “We have only begun showcasing the diversity of cultures that this state has to offer. Having the voice of the tribes included truly maintains the authenticity and integrity that ATIA wants to represent.”
The website also includes an interactive state map that highlights Alaska Native lands and their location in Alaska. ATIA’s Cultural Enrichment Subcommittee also developed a land acknowledgment.
Clicking Deeper
Alaska Travel Industry Association
The interactive map is designed for travelers to use as a key trip-planning tool, while helping them understand the size of Alaska in a variety of ways:
- Showcasing modes of transportation to visualize how to travel to or in Alaska via cruise, ferry, air services, and railroads;
- Presenting the location and relative size of national parks and preserves, forests, monuments, and wildlife refuges across the state; and
- Comparing five different regions of the state to learn more about each as an individual piece and its geographical location.
In the redesign, ATIA focused on adding other new features, enhancing content, and providing new navigation systems for a better overall consumer experience.
The redesign is made possible with a grant from the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
“The grant was intended to support tourism businesses and Alaska’s communities as our industry recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This website is vital to our dynamic destination marketing program and is designed to showcase the state’s beautiful mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and cultures,” says ATIA President and CEO Sarah Leonard. “In fact, an integral part of the new content development was to enhance and incorporate Native and cultural tourism imagery and information.”
The TravelAlaska website also offers a variety of ways for Alaska tourism businesses to be featured and promoted, to help reach more potential visitors.
Making History
The track of oil and gas development in Alaska shows the footprints of bold companies and hard-working individuals who shaped the industry in the past and continue to innovate today. The May 2024 issue of Alaska Business explores that history while looking forward to new product development, the energy transition for the fishing fleet, and the ethics of AI tools in business.