At a tourism stakeholder meeting on Oct. 16, community members shared ideas and discussed how tourism has been faring on the island.
Wrangell’s Economic Development Director Kate Thomas said the island had 25,000 visitors last year and that number’s growing each year. She said 2026 is projected to reach 80,000.
With this growth, she said the city plans to attend the Travel and Adventure show in Seattle, where Wrangell will have a tourism exhibition.
“Over 33% of our air travel passengers come in from Seattle,” Thomas said. “We definitely want to hit that market hard. They can come in for a long weekend.”
According to a report from Oregon State University on community and visitor needs, many Wrangell residents say that a growing economy is the biggest benefit to tourism. Sixty-four percent say tourism improves their quality of life. But the top concern was overcrowding. Even with that, the majority of residents feel like the infrastructure can adequately support the current volume of tourism. Additionally, more Wrangellites prefer to expand tourism, based on the report. (Two hundred forty-one residents participated in the survey.)
Although many feel the infrastructure can support the current volume of tourism, there are others who feel the need to expand to support the growing industry.
“The 100 rooms that we’re looking for ultimately in the town will be difficult, but we’re not too far away from that right now,” Stikine Inn owner Jake Harris said. “As a community with Airbnbs, I’m optimistic about that as well. We have a few popping into the community that’s beneficial for everybody on the ground. They’re not just spending money at my place, they’re spending money all over the community.”
However, many tourists visit Wrangell by cruise ships, lessening the demand for on-land lodging, right now.
The report states that an overwhelming number of Wrangellites, roughly 65%, say the sizes of the cruise ships that visit are appropriate for the town.
The majority of ships that anchor here are considered relatively small in the industry. But some can carry up to 4,000 passengers.
Additionally, greenspace played a significant role in the survey too.
More than 40% of people say there was just enough greenspace, but they still want to see improved and expanded parks. This also includes expanded waterfront development by way of additional trails and recreational areas.
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Director Lucy Robinson said staffing shortages make it difficult to maintain all the parks, putting more strain on employees.
“It was really hard to get seasonal employees this year, and so that was a big challenge,” she said. “We’ve already identified the fact that our workforce population has decreased, and it is hard to get those folks. This year was literally a puzzle of us working to get just the basic tasks done daily.”
Although Wrangell struggles with workforce and housing shortages, and there’s some stress on infrastructure, city leaders remain optimistic.
They said partnerships are key, between tour operators, the tribal government, the Chamber of Commerce and the municipality. They rely on this collaboration for a sustainable economic future.
