About 1.4 million people travel to Alaska every year - that’s a lot of fishing trips, flightseeing adventures and souvenirs. TOURISM is the fastest growing industry in Alaska and the second largest private sector employer in the state. That’s why you should get a job in the tourism industry. Over 2,500 small and large businesses ring their cash registers to the tune of $700 million in visitor sales. These businesses employ over 27,000 people, and they are looking for more talent.

That includes YOU. Worldwide and in Alaska, professional opportunities in the visitor industry almost outnumber the wildflowers. And because the market is growing as big and as fast as the fireweed, there are a lot of opportunities to work your way to the summit. On-the-job training, tourism classes, networking with other industry professionals and sampling Alaska’s travel products are the best ways to learn about what it takes to host nearly 1.4 million people. ALASKA offers all of that and more!

Alaska travel starts with one simple request. A potential visitor sees a picture of Alaska in a magazine. They call for more information. After that first request, travel PROFESSIONALS across the state work cooperatively to sell the trip to Alaska. Once the visitor is here, it’s a matter of helping make their visit as perfect as the picture in the magazine.

No two visitors travel the same way. Alaska has a variety of small and large companies offering different travel products. This means there are lots of unique career choices and various employers may look for different job skills when HIRING. Seasoned industry professionals have resume entries that include small, privately owned businesses and large, full-service corporations, with work experineces ranging from motorcoach driver to general manager of an international tour company.

Many top Alaskan executives and business owners started out on the frontline of the industry as reservation agents, flight attendants, travel agents, host guides, luggage handlers, food servers and hotel clerks. Later in their CAREERS, these experiences help them understand what visitors expect and what it takes to manage the employees who meet these needs. In the visitor industry, being able to shift from sitting behind a desk to frontline operations is what it takes to send visitors home with great memories and dreams of returning to Alaska.