02/05/2002 08:07 AM House EDT

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
              HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC                                                                             
                 DEVELOPMENT, TRADE AND TOURISM                                                                               
                        February 5, 2002                                                                                        
                           8:07 a.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW:   DEPARTMENT  OF COMMUNITY  & ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT AND                                                               
ALASKA TRAVEL  INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION  RE:   TOURISM'S CONTRIBUTION                                                               
TO ALASKA'S ECONOMY                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
02-1, SIDE(S) A & B                                                                                                             
02-2, SIDE(S) A                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LESIL McGUIRE,  Chair, called  the House  Special                                                               
Committee on Economic Development, Trade  and Tourism to order at                                                               
8:07 a.m.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee members  present were Representatives  McGuire, Morgan,                                                               
Dyson, and Guess.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
JEFFREY W.  BUSH, Deputy Commissioner, Department  of Community &                                                               
Economic  Development (DCED),  gave  a tourism  summary from  the                                                               
DCED  perspective   and  a  departmental  overview.     Mr.  Bush                                                               
described the  three economic sources  in Alaska: 1)  an economic                                                               
base including  tourism, oil  and gas, mining,  and so  forth, 2)                                                               
private support,  including construction,  trade, transportation,                                                               
et cetera,  and 3) state  and local  governments.  In  Mr. Bush's                                                               
overview,  he described  various statistics  relating to  tourism                                                               
trends in Alaska.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
TINA  LINDGREN, President  and  Chief  Operating Officer,  Alaska                                                               
Travel  Industry  Association,  spoke  about  the  state  of  the                                                               
tourism  industry   in  Alaska.    Ms.   Lindgren  discussed  the                                                               
importance tourism has on the  Alaskan economy and its effects on                                                               
Alaskan  communities.    She  also  discussed  trends  in  recent                                                               
tourist activities,  and the  marketing of Alaska  as a  safe and                                                               
premiere travel destination.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LONNIE  JACKSON, Executive  Vice  President  and Chief  Operating                                                               
Officer, Alaska  Native Heritage Center (ANHC),  testified on the                                                               
role  and  accomplishments  the  ANHC  has  had  in  the  tourism                                                               
industry in Anchorage and Alaska.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
ALAN  LeMASTERS,  resident   and  small-business  owner,  Gakona,                                                               
Alaska, commented  via teleconference, discussing  tourism issues                                                               
that his  community faces.   Mr. LeMasters commented on  the lack                                                               
of highway  traffic in the  recent years  and reasons as  to why.                                                               
He  spoke about  the importance  of maintaining  and adding  rest                                                               
stops along the highway.  Mr.  LeMasters also spoke about the new                                                               
Princess lodge  that was build  and how  the presence of  such an                                                               
establishment was beneficial to the community.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR McGUIRE  adjourned the House Special  Committee on Economic                                                               
Development, Trade and Tourism meeting at 9:58 a.m.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment of  the second  session  of the  Twenty-Second                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.