SAVE THE DATE! MAY 10, 2016: Alaska Geotourism conference and visioning workshop—in Anchorage, with call-in options from around the state and beyond.

READ THE DETAILS HERE.

 —And watch for our new website, to be unveiled at the conference!— 
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The Alaska Geotourism Collaboration is an initiative originally convened by University of Alaska faculty and program specialists. It now includes rural tourism business and community leaders. Our focus is on identifying viable rural economic development management strategies that maximize beneficial tourism for their communities and seek to further good destination stewardship. Another outcome is to provide a source of information to re-introduce Alaska gateway communities to the US and international geotourism communities. [Note—This page can be reached directly via alaskageotourism.org and is provided courtesy of the Destination Stewardship Center while the permanent Alaska Geotourism website is under construction.]

New post from Tony Nakazawa:
Alaska Claims First Geotourism TEDx Talk
Stories are what makes a destination special and visiting Alaska is especially Special.
Earlier this year AlaskaGeotourism was one of the featured sessions at TEDx Anchorage 2015. . . .  Read the whole post.

Alaska Geotourism Mission Statement
Geotourism is defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.” Alaska Geotourism is an economic approach for maximizing beneficial tourism and furthering good destination stewardship. —Alaska Geotourism Charter

Excerpted from the Alaska Geotourism Charter:
Alaska geotourism approach is all-inclusive, focusing not only on the environment, but also on the diversity of the cultural, historic, and scenic assets of Alaska, and also recognizes the potential of geotourism strategies to enhance economic and workforce development opportunities for Alaska  . . . .
Alaska’s geotourism approach seeks to bring recognition to Alaska’s many geotourism efforts (current and on-going) at both the national and international levels with an Alaska identity and pride, stressing what is authentic and unique to Alaska.

Download and read the complete Alaska Geotourism Charter, January 2014 (pdf)
What is geotourism?

News items

• Bristol Bay Explores Geotourism | Bristol Bay Times
• Geotourism Originator Offers Advice for Alaska | Journal of Commerce
• Fairbanks mayoral candidate Robert Shields calls for prosperity via a novel mix of “cannabis, geotourism, and the aerospace industries.”

For background information, click on the 2014 report from Tony Nakazawa.