Alaska Wildland Adventures CEO Kirk Hoessle Appointed to US National Tourism Advisory Board

As part of a push to boost the tourism economy in the United States, President Obama has appointed the national visitor industry advisory board, at the recommendation of Senator Mark Begich.

Kirk Hoessle, who runs the Girdwood-based adventure travel company Alaska Wildland Adventures, says he hopes to bring an Alaskan voice to the table. Hoessle is one of 32 people appointed to the board. The president is calling on the advisory board to help boost the U.S. tourism economy and support job creation. After years of developing a tourism business in Alaska that takes the environment into account, Hoessle hopes to share what he's learned.

"One of the things that has always been a priority for us is for us to operate in a low impact, sustainable manner," said Hoessle. "As more and more people are conscious of choices they make in their lifestyle - trying to conserve energy, trying to have a lighter footprint on the earth - research is showing that more and more people are setting out to purchase vacation services that leave a lighter footprint... I think that a lot of the concepts, a lot of the lessons learned over the years in Alaska, we can share with our colleagues across the states."

According to Hoessle, one bright spot in his business over the past few years has been an increase in international visitors. President Obama, when he addressed the Advisory Board, emphasized the importance of making it easier for foreigners to visit the U.S. and bring their dollars to U.S. destinations.

"International travel is very important to Alaska, it’s a growing area. We’re seeing growth in countries where we really haven’t been able to do any marketing such as Brazil and India and Israel. I mean people are coming anyway and if we can help nurture these markets it’s going to benefit Alaska and all of the United States," Hoessle said.

The advisory board had their first board meeting this week in Orlando. Hoessle attended and says they discussed an array of issues, of particular interest was an update on ongoing efforts by the federal government to streamline the tourist visa process.

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