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Explore Juneau with the top down and more
June 1, 2009
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Welcome to the Alaska Travel Industry Association (AlaskaTIA) Travel News
Bulletin. AlaskaTIA sends this out periodically to keep media up-to-date on
Alaska tourism and travel news. Media are invited to call (800) 327-9372 or
visit www.TravelAlaska.com/media for more information.
In this June Travel News Bulletin you will find:
1. Explore Juneau with the top down
2. New shore excursion offers quest in marine biology
3. Anchorage museum doubles in size with expansion opening
4. New wildlife guide highlights Alaska’s coast
5. Spotlight on 50th: Alaska Tour and Travel offers Alaska photo contest
1. Explore Juneau with the top down
A new tour company invites travelers to feel the wind in their face as they
explore the best of Juneau — from the steps of the Capitol to remote whale
watching beaches. Open since 2008, juneau jeep adventures™ offers
small-group Jeep tours with local guides presenting breathtaking scenery and
the local history and culture of Alaska’s capital city. Travelers can choose
the four-hour Jeep adventure to discover downtown Juneau’s history, view the
Mendenhall Glacier from a distance, pass through the Auke Indian village
site, visit the Shrine of St. Therese, picnic at Eagle Beach, and finish
with a tour and tasting at the Alaskan Brewing Company. Or enjoy the
five-hour Jeep and zip adventure tour through downtown’s narrow streets,
cruise to north Douglas Island to walk the 1.5-mile Rainforest Trail, then
continue to Eaglecrest Ski Area for a canopy tour with Alaska Zipline
Adventures. For travelers who prefer to set their own course, custom
four-hour guided adventures are available to explore destinations of their
choice. For more information, visit www.juneaujeep.com.
_Media information_
Contact: Molly and Mark Kiesel, juneau jeep adventures™
Phone: (907) 988-JEEP (5337)
E-mail: info@juneaujeep.com
URL: www.juneaujeep.com
2. New shore excursion offers quest in marine biology
This summer, Alaska cruisers can participate in volunteer work and
scientific data collection through a new shore excursion with Holland
America Line. In addition to whale watching on a research vessel, travelers
on the Marine Wildlife Research Exploration will search for and document
individual humpback and orca whales, learn how to identify individual whales
by the tail markings and record whale songs using a hydrophone. Travelers
will also get hands-on experience collecting water samples, trawling for
plankton and recording ocean temperature readings. The collected data will
help predict the success of Alaska’s salmon runs and improve scientists’
understanding of the local food chain and other environmental variables that
effect Alaska’s marine populations. Using the vessel’s unique shore-landing
abilities, guests may visit a secluded island or remote shore to participate
in beachcombing for marine debris as part of an ongoing shoreline cleanup
program. This excursion is being offered through a partnership between
Gastineau Guiding in Juneau, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program
and the Marine Conservation Alliance. For more information, visit
www.hollandamerica.com and click on the Cruise With Purpose tab.
_Media information_
Contact: Sarah Scoltock, Holland America Line
Phone: (206) 301-5445
E-mail: sscoltock@hollandamerica.com
URL: www.hollandamerica.com
3. Anchorage museum doubles in size with expansion opening
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center reopened its doors on May 30
presenting visitors with the new $106 million expansion. The existing museum
and most of the new 90,000-square-foot addition are now open except the
second floor’s Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, which will be unveiled to
the public in 2010. Travelers can visit the museum during its summer hours
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and examine the building’s architecture and
design, sample the menu at the new café and browse the expanded museum
store. With this project, the museum doubles in size and expands its mission
to include science and hands-on learning. May 30 also marked the opening of
“Gold,” the dazzling inaugural exhibition created by the American Museum of
Natural History featuring a dramatic array of more than 300 geological
specimens and cultural objects from around the world. “Gold” is paired with
“Pay Dirt! Alaska’s Golden Landscapes,” an exhibit about Alaska’s gold rush
era. “Gold” is now on view through Aug. 2. For more information, visit
www.anchoragemuseum.org.
_Media information_
Contact: Janet Asaro, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Phone: (907) 343-4326
E-mail: AsaroJ@ci.anchorage.ak.us
URL: www.anchoragemuseum.org
4. New wildlife guide highlights Alaska’s coast
It’s no surprise that each year, hundreds of thousands of people participate
in wildlife viewing in Alaska. Thanks to a new viewing guide unveiled last
month by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, visitors to Alaska’s
coastal expanse from Prince William Sound to the Aleutian Islands can
further understand the spectacular sea bird rookeries, enormous brown bears
and stately whales of the region. Alaska’s South Coastal Wildlife Viewing
Guide highlights the 900-mile section of the Alaska Coastal Wildlife Viewing
Trail between Cordova and the twin communities of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.
While highway-based wildlife viewing trails are popular around the nation,
Alaska is unique in that it boasts a marine-based trail. The new 112-page
guide includes habitat descriptions, species profiles, safety tips and other
information for viewing wildlife from the ferry and in six highlighted
communities along the route. The guide also provides an economic development
tool to help communities showcase their wildlife viewing resources. Visitors
can purchase Alaska’s South Coastal Wildlife Viewing Guide in bookstores and
visitor centers around the state, onboard ferry gift shops and on
Amazon.com. For more information, click HERE.
_Media information_
Contact: Beth Peluso, Watchable Wildlife Program Coordinator
Phone: (867) 465-4190
E-mail: beth.peluso@alaska.gov
URL: www.wildlifeviewing.alaska.gov
5. Spotlight on 50th: Alaska Tour and Travel offers Alaska photo contest
In honor of Alaska’s 50th anniversary, Alaska Tour and Travel has launched
an Alaska photo contest. Travelers are encouraged to send in their best
photos that depict Alaska’s spectacular wildlife, scenery, people or
adventures. The winner of the contest will receive Sydney Laurence’s “Legacy
of Alaska” limited edition print signed by all the living Alaska governors.
The contest is open to visitors and residents alike. All entries must be
received by Oct. 31, 2009, and the grand prize will be awarded by Nov. 30,
2009. For more information and complete contest rules, visit
www.alaskatravel.com/photo-contest.
_Media information_
Contact: Steve Judd, Alaska Tour & Travel/The Park Connection
Phone: (907) 245-0912
E-mail: steve@alaskatravel.com
URL: www.alaskatravel.com
Alaska Travel Industry Association
2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(800) 327-9372- Voice
(907) 563-3223 - Fax
ATIAmedia@gci.net
www.travelalaska.com/media
Alaska Travel
Industry Association
2600 Cordova St. Ste. 201
Anchorage, AK 99503-2745
P. (800) 327-9372
F. (800) 276-1042
E. ATIAmedia@gci.net »