A New Alaska Travel Trend: small group, off-grid, inclusive, exclusive adventures

New Alaska Travel Trends are emerging! Off-Grid, All-Inclusive Small Group Travel

January 6, 2021
We have been in the Alaska tourism industry now 20 years with our primary business being a remote, fly-in fishing lodge. A few decades ago, our primary demographic was that of the "good 'ol boys" who planned their annual guys-getaway to wild places to pursue their favorite cold-blooded quarry. It was all about the fish and pursuing them. The scene each evening in our lodge was whisky-swilling, card-playing, belly-aching laughter with jovial discourse and elevated tales of the 'one that got away.' Fast-forward to 2020, our main demographic are couples, young families, father-sons, grandfather-granddaughters, family reunions, nature enthusiasts, curious adventurers, honeymooners and such. Wow, how cool is that? How did things change so dramatically? Well, it's been happening gradually as generations have changed. Eco-tourism and adventure travel have gotten pretty big. Now "off-grid" adventures in more remote places off the road system are in high demand. For us, we are still very much a very dedicated world-class fishing lodge, but we have adapted our trip options and daily regimen to fit the expectations of a diversified audience.

Wild places like Alaska have become so much more than just a place where brave men challenge the wilderness and return with crazy stories and a highlight reel of fish and game photos. Those groups still visit our lodge, but they usually arrive surprised to find such a diverse audience in their company. Before we purchased Wilderness Place Lodge in 2001, we set up our business LLC named "The Alaska Adventure Company." The motive of the company was to create unique experiences for a diversity of curious-minded adventurers seeking wild places off the beaten path. When we purchased Wilderness Place Lodge there was initially very little diversity. We believe that fishing and wilderness travel should be enjoyable and accessible to all walks of life and experience levels. Today we see an limitless amount of curiosity in people for places less traveled. It's the "need for nature" that is bringing people back to wild places and with it comes a wide array of travelers from age 4 to 94. It's not just our business, but Alaska tourism in general that is starting to turn over a new leaf. The true value of wild places is the variety of experiences they offer. You may come to go fishing, but return home with a new appreciation for wilderness. People are at ease in natural surroundings. Time slows down. Grace is experienced. Fish are caught; kept or released does not matter. We understand that and have expanded and amplified our fishing lodge experience to offer the best of all worlds: awesome fishing, the happiest most personal fishing guides, incredible cuisine, top-notch guest cabins, the largest staff to client ratio, the friendliest hospitality and diverse add-on adventures and side trips to round out your bucket-list Alaskan vacation.

The new, essential themes in Alaska Tourism for 2021

Sometimes things just work out for you. I find it amazing that what we envisioned for our business long-term, is now the industry standard as we move into the 2021 season. The Covid-19 pandemic no doubt has pushed things in this direction at an accelerated pace. More than ever, travelers to Alaska are trending to a more exclusive adventure experience that is all-inclusive and mostly exclusive. People are looking for a turn-key destination that offers everything rolled into one well-detailed trip package. They want good value and don't want to be nickeled-and-dimed upon arrival. People are also looking for a very personalized experience where their immediate family can spend the bulk of their vacation experiencing things together in their small group. But, still people value interaction with other guests as a small part of their day to share experiences with other like-minded travelers. It's sort of like the 80% introvert, 20% extrovert experience that people are after nowadays for those seeking what we offer. For the 80% extroverts, the cruise-tour industry is still the way to go.