Marketing

Explore Fairbanks is a non-profit 501(c)(6) destination organization. The mission of Explore Fairbanks is to be an economic driver in the Fairbanks region by marketing to potential visitors, optimizing the visitor experience and advocating for a thriving year-round visitor industry. Explore Fairbanks markets Fairbanks as a year-round destination by promoting local events, attractions and activities to independent travelers, group tour operators, travel agents, meeting planners and the media as well as by shaping public policy and developing infrastructure to achieve marketing objectives.

The four departments within Explore Fairbanks together deliver results-driven marketing and management programs. For 2025, the departments will focus their marketing strategies on the following initiatives:

Communications

Branding, Advertising and Collateral

• Create an integrated advertising strategy across multiple platforms
• Enhance and unify publications and collateral with consistent branding
• Showcase destination through video content
• Boost engagement with targeted e-newsletters

Social Media and Website

• Increase website performance and content quality
• Optimize and expand social media strategy

Communications and Media Relations

• Strengthen media relations and coverage for Fairbanks
• Expand media coverage and relationships through press release distribution

Tourism and Meeting Sales

Domestic Travel Trade

• Identify, prioritize and attend key travel trade shows
• Host targeted familiarization (FAM) tours
• Implement effective follow-up and relationship building from travel trade activities
• Work closely with Fairbanks International Airport and consultant to secure new air service opportunities

International Travel Trade

• Increase international market presence through trade shows and sales missions
• Leverage in-market representation and Alaska partnerships in key international markets
• Develop multilingual collateral and digital content
• Conduct FAM tours to drive international market engagement
• Partner with Fairbanks International Airport, airlines and tour operators to secure international service or charters

Meetings and Convention Sales

• Expand national awareness of Fairbanks as a destination for meetings and conventions
• Strengthen local and state industry relationships and partnerships
• Encourage and facilitate sustainable practices for meetings and conventions in Fairbanks
• Collaborate closely with Explore Fairbanks partners connected to the meetings and conventions sector

Visitor and Community Engagement

Partnership

• Increase number of businesses in new Associate program
• Recruit new businesses into the Partnership program
• Cultivate relationships and outreach to Partners and Associates

Visitor Engagement

• Provide visitors with exceptional customer service
• Leverage personal stories to optimize the visitor experience

Community Engagement

• Broaden community awareness of the visitor industry and the role of Explore Fairbanks
• Foster continued and new collaborations with military community
• Expand awareness of workforce development and career opportunities in the visitor industry
• Nurture a philanthropic legacy through the Golden Heart Giving "Tourism Cares for Fairbanks" program

Administration

• Maintain stable organizational funding
• Achieve a timely and clean audit
• Enhance employee recruitment and retention
• Improve workforce efficiency
• Strengthen stakeholder engagement and collaboration
• Assure best practices as a professional association