The cruise passenger industry worked with the State to develop a DVD to help Alaska businesses interested in selling shore excursions.
The Alaska Office of Economic Development has debuted a new educational DVD designed to help Alaskan entrepreneurs learn about tourism business opportunities with the Alaskan cruise industry.
Funding for this project was provided through a U.S.D.A Rural Business Enterprise Grant and project partners include the Alaska Office of Economic Development, the Alaska Cruise Association and the Alaska Channel.
“The cruise industry is committed to expanding the economic benefits of tourism to more Alaskans,” said John Binkley, President of the Alaska Cruise Association. “We hope to make it easier for Alaskans to do business with the cruise lines.”
“The arrival of more than one million cruise visitors each year provides incredible opportunities for residents throughout Alaska to provide services and activities for these visitors,” said Governor Sarah Palin, and “this educational video will be a valuable resource for Alaskan entrepreneurs.”
Called “Navigating Tourism Business Opportunities with the Alaska Cruise Industry,” the video features information and advice from Alaska cruise industry representatives and Alaskan tour operators. The video is designed to help tourism entrepreneurs learn about the process and the steps necessary to work with the cruise lines and potentially secure a cruise line contract for their tourism business.
Some of the topics covered include: developing a proposal; pricing your tourism product, how the planning cycle works in the Alaskan cruise industry, and the expectations that cruise lines require from potential business owners (i.e. safety, insurance, etc.)
To obtain a free copy of the “Navigating Tourism Business Opportunities with the Alaska Cruise Industry” DVD, contact Dru Garson, with the Office of Economic Development at (907) 465-2162 or the Alaska Cruise Association (www.akcruise.org) at (907) 743-4529. The video can also be downloaded and viewed from the Internet at http://alaska.org/tourism-opportunities/cruise-lines-video.htm.
The Alaska Office of Economic Development offers services through the Developing Alaska Rural Tourism Project, Tourism Mentorship Assistance Program, AlaskaHost customer service training program, the Tok Public Lands Information Center, the Alaska Visitors Statistics Program and the Alaska Film Program. Additional information can be found on the Office of Economic Development website at http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/home.htm.