Latest Travel News Bulletin
Barrow really sticks with visitors and more
May 3, 2010
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.
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In this May Travel News Bulletin you will find:
1. Barrow really sticks with visitors
2. Orphaned seal brought to Alaska SeaLife Center
3. Some new twists offered on the Kenai
4. Become a pro whale watcher
5. Follow #Alaska tour operators on Twitter
1. Barrow really sticks with visitors
Alaska is no stranger to quirky festivals and contests, and the community of
Barrow is no exception. Last month, the town celebrated its second annual
Duct Tape Dress Contest, which challenges contenders to create and wear
garments made of the sticky material. The Duct Tape-clad competitors modeled
garments of green, crimson and, of course, classic silver. While it’s too
late to catch this year’s Duct Tape competition, there are plenty of other
reasons to visit Barrow this summer. Tundra Tours, Inc., offers a variety of
Arctic experiences in Barrow, located 340 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Guests can sightsee along the Arctic Ocean while learning about Barrow and
its residents, watch traditional Native dances, participate in the a
traditional blanket toss and visit with local artists while they create
baleen baskets, ivory carvings and other unique crafts. Visitors can even
take the Tundra Tours’ polar bear plunge into the Chukchi Sea. For more
information, visit www.tundratoursinc.com.
_Media information_
Contact: Dawn Kimberlin, Top of the World Tours
Phone: (907) 273-2477
E-mail: dawn.kimberlin@nmsusa.com
URL: www.tundratoursinc.com
2. Orphaned seal brought to Alaska SeaLife Center
It’s not unusual for the Alaska SeaLife Center to receive orphaned seal
pups, but the most recent addition came special delivery from the Bristol
Bay region. After a local resident discovered an orphaned sea pup, he
contacted the SeaLife Center’s hotline for stranded marine mammals and
birds. With the help of some caring community members, the newborn pup was
on his way to the SeaLife Center in Seward. The pup, Maxwell, has responded
well to food and care, and veterinarians hope to give him a second chance at
life as a wild harbor seal. The Alaska SeaLife Center operates the only
permanent facility in Alaska that is licensed to hold stranded marine
mammals and seabirds for rehabilitation. Visitors to the SeaLife Center can
get up close to marine wildlife, including a 2,000-pound Steller sea lion,
puffins, king crab, giant Pacific octopus and more harbor seals like
Maxwell. For more information, visit www.alaskasealife.org.
_Media information_
Contact: Amy Haddow, Alaska SeaLife Center
Phone: (907) 224-6304
Twitter: @AlaskaSeaLife
E-mail: amy_haddow@alaskasealife.org
URL: www.alaskasealife.org
3. Some new twists offered on the Kenai
The Kenai Peninsula may be one of Alaska’s best-known playgrounds, but there
is no shortage of new ways to explore it. This summer, the Cooking School at
Tutka Bay debuts near Homer and adjacent to Tutka Bay Lodge, the newest
adventure lodge acquired by Within the Wild Adventure Company. Day-trip
guests can join co-owner and Chef Kirsten Dixon at the school to learn the
secrets of Kachemak Bay cuisine. Budding chefs will enjoy preparing and
eating lunch and then spend the afternoon exploring the lodge property. For
more information on the cooking school and Tutka Bay Lodge, visit
www.withinthewild.com/tutka-bay-lodge. Additionally, Alaska Wildland
Adventures is offering a new eight-day vacation that encompasses all three
of the operator’s adventure lodges on the Peninsula, including Kenai
Riverside Lodge, Kenai Backcountry Lodge and Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge.
This new trip is a limited offering with only four departures in 2010. For
more information, visit
alaskawildland.com/wild-alaska-value-vacation.htm.
_Media information_
Contact: Kirsten Dixon, Within the Wild Adventure Company
Phone: (907) 274-2710
E-mail: Kirsten@withinthewild.com
URL: www.withinthewild.com
Contact: Heather Dudick, Alaska Wildland Adventures
Phone: (907) 783-2928
Twitter: @Alaska_Wildland
E-mail: heather@alaska-wildland.com
URL: www.Alaskawildland.com
4. Become a pro whale watcher
Travelers now have a resource to help them get to know the humpback whales
of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Researchers at the Sitka campus of the
University of Alaska Southeast and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
have created an online photo catalog of nearly 2,000 humpback whale tails,
called flukes. Similar to fingerprints, humpback flukes have markings that
are unique to each, making it easy for observers to identify particular
whales. This new online catalog is available just in time to begin spotting
humpbacks and other whales while enjoying boating excursions in Sitka Sound
in the summer months. A selection of whale watching tours out of Sitka can
be found at www.sitka.org or to search for whale watching tours
throughout the state, go to www.TravelAlaska.com.
_Media information_
Contact: Sandy Lorrigan, Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau
Phone: (907) 747-5940
E-mail: director@sitka.org
URL: www.sitka.org
5. Follow #Alaska tour operators on Twitter
Ready to start booking an Alaska trip? Follow Alaska tour operators on
Twitter: @AlaskaExperts (Alaska Tour and Travel), @Salmonberrytour,
@AlaskaCoachTour, @Alaska_Wildland and @akrr (Alaska Railroad
Corp.).
Alaska Travel Industry Association
2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(800) 327-9372- Voice
(907) 563-3223 – Fax
ATIAmedia@thompsonpr.com
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@thompsonpr.com
[Source: http://www.travelalaska.com/media/WhatsNew.aspx]
Mon, May 3, 2010