After over a year of work with our residents, businesses, organizations, and community leaders, the Borough is pleased to announce the release of the final draft of the Ketchikan Tourism Strategy.
The Ketchikan Tourism Strategy (KTS) is intended to be a working document that evolves over time to meet the changing needs of the community, balancing quality of life with the visitor experience., while also proactively addressing the growing challenges and opportunities of Ketchikan's thriving tourism industry.
“While tourism growth has brought many economic benefits, it is putting a strain on the community, its infrastructure, and natural resources. The destination is now facing a range of interrelated challenges: over-reliance on cruise tourism, traffic congestion, and aging infrastructure, persistent workforce shortages, and limited workforce housing,” says Richard Harney, director of Planning & Community Development, KGB. “The implementation of the KTS will take us all. The KTS aligns with many other initiatives happening in our community to develop resources and maximize outcomes more holistically.”
We invite our citizens to review the KTS, provide comments, and stay engaged for continued updates to the tourism plan as implementation gets underway. The Borough Planning Commission will review the KTS on July 11, and the Borough Assembly is scheduled to consider the KTS at its July 17 meeting.
The KTS is available online for review and comment via the KTNTalk site at: https://ktntalk.com/ketchikan-tourism-strategy