Impediments and Opportunities in Tourism Development in Southwest Alaska

The Bristol Bay region of southwestern Alaska is sparsely inhabited, but richly endowed in resources that could support a major tourism industry. Despite an abundance of natural and cultural attractions and a clear need for economic diversification, the tourism industry is still largely undeveloped. Several factors account for this unfulfilled opportunity, including high travel costs, lack of visitor facilities, a shortage of capital, willing labor and skilled management, local resistance, problematic weather, and an ignorance of the region on the part of tourism promoters and the traveling public. A dynamic involving local people, tourism service providers, and the tourists themselves is required for successful development of an industry and this dynamic is not yet fully in place in the region. Bristol Bay presents numerous opportunities for regional tourism development and for local individual enterprise. Governments, associations and communities may play a role in assisting business owners to capitalize on those opportunities. However, it remains to be seen whether the region’s residents will come to the point of endorsing further tourism development, and whether local individuals will find ways to make new tourism businesses work in the region.