Alaskan governor hopes to take more mining, tourism representatives on China trade mission

SAN FRANCISCO - Alaskan governor Bill Walker hopes to take more representatives from the mining and tourism industries on a May trade delegation to China, the US northwestern state's largest international trading partner, a media report said Tuesday.

Walker hopes the mining industry will be well-represented on the trade mission set for May 19-26, an Alaska news website quoted state Transportation Commissioner Marc Luiken as saying.

Luiken said zinc from the Red Dog Mine in northwestern Alaska accounts for a considerable amount of mineral exports to China, the state's largest export market over the past seven years.

Alaska sold more than $1.3 billion in goods and services to China in 2017, among which about 865 million dollars' worth was in seafood and other ocean products, followed by $356 million in mineral ores, according to the state governor's office.

Walker believes the state's mining industry could sell more of its products to China, Luiken said.

As for the tourism sector, Luiken said he's working with the Chinese side to establish direct flights to accommodate the nation's growing interest in visiting Alaska.

"A lot of the Chinese tourists coming to Alaska are coming in the winter, coming to Fairbanks," he said.

Fairbanks is the largest and second most populous city in the interior region of Alaska, which appeals to tourists because of the polar lights, or aurora, during the winter, plus winter sports and other attractions.

"Chinese tourism for Fairbanks is really driven by the aurora, so we are seeing Chinese guests come from late summer all the way through to the spring," said Deb Hickok, president and CEO of Explore Fairbanks, the tourism-promotion wing of the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce.

She said that tourism has generated about 45 percent of revenue for Fairbanks on an annual basis over the past 10 years.

Walker announced earlier this month that he will lead a delegation of state trade representatives to China in May this year to strengthen Alaska's business ties with the world's second-largest economy.