Juneau tourism task force faces a fork: which planning model fits the capital?

Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force meets July 16 to choose among three tourism planning models — a Destination Management Plan, a Sustainable Tourism Plan, or a Tourism Strategy — each carrying different timelines, budgets, and community-engagement requirements.

Visitor Industry Director Alexandra Pierce laid out the options in a staff memo. "The type of plan will dictate the structure, budget and timeline," she wrote. Timelines range from seven to 18 months depending on the model chosen. Ketchikan's 18-month, 1,600-participant process is the closest Alaska comparator Pierce cites.

Staff are also proposing to centralize data the City and Borough of Juneau already holds — bed taxes, sales tax, and passenger counts — and coordinate permitting data with the U.S. Forest Service before any plan moves forward.

July 16 is the first session designated to produce draft recommendations. The next meeting is scheduled for August 13.