Alaska lost 27,000 jobs in 2020. And, while the whole state suffered, regions that depend on tourism were hit especially hard.
Now, the state is looking ahead to the 2021 summer season with lingering uncertainty, as large cruise ships are unlikely to sail to Alaska for the second year in a row.
Economist Mouhcine Guettabi with the University of Alaska Anchorage's Institute of Social and Economic Research said this will be another really hard year. But the tourism industry will eventually recover, he said, and it's important to help businesses survive to see that happen.