Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday announced an initiative to aid the state’s impacted tourism, hospitality, and ancillary businesses in a press conference at Wings Airways Hanger in Juneau. The proposal is to provide resources to the state’s businesses in an effort to rescue this year’s tourism season that includes an expansive national tourism campaign, major relief to tourism communities and businesses, and readiness to file legal action against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if the conditional sail order isn’t lifted.
To watch Governor Dunleavy’s press conference, click here.
The Governor’s proposal to rescue the 2021 Alaska tourism season includes:
- Aggressive marketing campaign to attract Americans to Alaska
- Direct federal COVID funds to one of the largest tourism campaigns in state history.
- Relief to tourism-dependent businesses
- Direct federal COVID funds to provide grants to tourism businesses and create traveler incentives.
- Gather feedback from tourism-dependent communities
- Lt. Governor Meyer and members of the Dunleavy administration will travel through Southeast, Denali, Kenai Peninsula, and the Mat-Su Valley to listen to community groups on their needs and report findings to the legislature.
- Defend Alaska in court against federal cruise ship restraints
- Withhold the right to pursue litigation against the CDC’s conditional sail order and the callous disregard of Alaskans’ livelihoods and wellbeing.
- Demand an end to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA)
- Signed SJR 9, urging the United States Congress to exempt cruise ships from the PVSA for the period during which Canadian ports are closed to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people.
