Alaskans Weigh Impact of New High Profile

Palin's southern exposure may drive increased tourism
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 17, 2008 3:51 PM CDT
Alaskans Weigh Impact of New High Profile
Sarah Palin, is seen on a TV at a home in Wasilla, Alaska, Thursday Oct. 2, 2008, as she debates Joe Biden.   (AP Photo/Al Grillo)

Will America’s favorite moose-field-dressing expert draw more visitors to her wintry home state? Alaska’s sudden burst of Palin-centric publicity has some travel agents salivating, the Anchorage Daily News reports; every misty mountain vista that shows up on CNN is a win. But others worry that the increasingly controversial governor is hurting her state’s image.

At a recent Alaska travel trade show, an attendee wisecracked, “Welcome to Alaska, home of Joe Six Pack.” But at least one marketing expert doesn’t mind if people think Alaska’s a backwater—as long as they think it’s unique. In attempting to pique interest, "showing some of Alaska's rough-hewn side is kind of a good thing," he says.
(Read more Alaska stories.)

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