Tourism picks up across Alaska, but the outlooks still unclear | Local & State News [Video]

The streets downtown are packed with visitors, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Jack Bonney with Visit Anchorage says there’s still a lot up in the air this summer.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty around economic policy, around international travel and trade policy,” said Bonney. “So all of those big question marks add up to a lot of uncertainty about how the summer shakes out.”

Jeffrey King at the hot dog stand, Red Umbrella, says they’ve seen a slight downturn in visitors from Canada, but an increase in tourists from other countries—making it a very successful year so far.

“We’ve seen a 30% increase in sales here at the Red Umbrella,” said King. “So it’s been doing really well for us. Lots of people coming in from all over the world. So it’s been really good this year.”

Despite some uncertainty, some folks are still trying to get out …