Apr 25, 2014

The Art of the Alaska Gift Market: Science and SavvyBy Mike DunhamADN.com

Anchorage, AK – Jana Hayenga, owner of Cabin Fever Gifts in downtown Anchorage, is still a couple of weeks away from her busy season.

“On May 15, the light switches on,” she said. “And it stays on until the end of Sept-ember.”

A report done by the McDowell Group for the Alaska Division of Economic Development, “Economic Impact of Alaska’s Visitor Industry,” estimates that 1.9 million tourists came to the state between October 2012 and September 2013, the overwhelming majority during the summer. They spent $1.8 billion, not counting airline or cruise ship tickets, with Southcentral Alaska getting the biggest piece of the pie, 44 percent.

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