July 26
By Lauren Maxwell
A Korean Air flight touched down at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to a big welcome on Monday morning. Airport, tourism, and city officials were there to mark the first of five charter flights scheduled to bring about 1,000 South Korean tourists to the state over the next few weeks.
The Korean passengers have several itineraries to choose from on the five-day, four-night trip, according to Jason Cho, tour director with New World Tours. Cho said visitors are interested in the natural beauty of Southcentral Alaska and will make stops in Seward, Valdez and Denali National Park & Preserve.
The event is significant, according to Visit Anchorage Vice President of Sales David Kasser, who said international charter flights were frequent before the pandemic but have been slow to resume. Monday’s was the first chartered flight from Korea in the past four years.
Kasser said international tourism is important to Anchorage since foreign visitors tend to stay more, spend more and visit places that domestic tourists don’t. He said the chartered flights mean Anchorage’s international tourism sector is starting to recover.
Trudy Wassel, deputy director of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, said the hope is that Korean Air will bring more charter flights next year or possibly commit to making regular scheduled service to Alaska. The last Korean Air charter flight for this year is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Aug. 9.