This summer was shaping up to be a banner year for Alaska’s tourism industry. Rates were high and availability was scarce.

But things are different now. Many visitors to Alaska are worried about their jobs and their retirement accounts. The uncertainty from federal job cuts and stock market drops caused many travelers to cancel or defer their trips.

That means there is last-minute space available at many destinations around the state. That includes hotels, resorts, cruises and excursions.

Many operators now are extending special offers to Alaska residents. There are a bunch of deals, but most of them are for the month of June. Other offers are available all season long

Alaskans are well-situated to take advantage of last-minute deals. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Stan Stephens Cruises in Valdez offer cruises each day to Mears Glacier and Columbia Glacier. The regular price ranges from $169-$189 per adult. Alaska residents can take 30% off any cruise between now and June 20. Use the code AK30 or call 866-867-1297.

2. Alyeska Resort offers up to 30% off for Alaska residents. The best deals are between now and the end of May, but rates are subject to change without notice. For a midweek stay next week, it’s $182 per night, down from $259 per night. Add $47 in taxes and fees, for a total of $229 per night.

3. Alaskan Dream Cruises in Sitka is offering Alaska residents a 70% discount off normal cruise rates on its fleet of four small, luxury vessels. The ships ply the waters between Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan including Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and all sorts of hidden bays along the Inside Passage. The discount is available on select sailings all summer long.

For example, the “North to True Alaska” itinerary on the Chichagof Dream is usually starts at $3,995 per person during July. The ship can carry up to 74 passengers. Alaska residents can sail for as little as $1,199 per person. The price includes all accommodations, meals and activities.

Check the website for itinerary details. But you cannot book the cruise online. You have to call to make reservations: 855-747-8100.

4. The Alaska Collection by Pursuit operates the Seward Windsong Lodge, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge and the Denali Cabins. Alaska residents can take 20% off between now and June 15. Book online or call 800-808-8068.

Pursuit also operates Kenai Fjords Cruises in Seward. Alaska residents can request a 20% discount on any cruise.

5. Alaska Wildland Adventures is offering a 2-for-1 special at the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge, located inside the park near the Aialik Glacier. A three-day/two-night stay at the lodge during June usually costs $2,175 per night. With the half-off deal in June, it comes down to $1,087.50 per adult (double occupancy).

The lodge is one of three that the company operates on the Kenai Peninsula.

The price includes a glacier and wildlife cruise, which ends with a beach landing to access the lodge. All meals, accommodations and activities at the lodge also are included. The lodge is unique, since it’s built inside the park. You can’t see it from the water.

Call 800-334-8730 and tell the reservations agent the code word “LOCAL” to get the discount.

6. Major Marine Tours offers Alaska residents 20% off any of its cruises from Seward all season long.

7. Nova Alaska River Runners now offers 20% off any of its whitewater day trips. I first saw the offer as a deal for Alaska residents, but it’s now available to everyone. This includes trips on the Matanuska River and on Six Mile Creek, which is accessible via the Seward Highway. Use code “RAFT50” for online reservations or call 907-745-5753.

8. Chena Hot Springs, located about 54 miles outside of Fairbanks, offers Alaska residents a $60 per night discount on its rooms all summer. The “Fox” rooms include two double beds, for $209 per night. With the discount applied, the nightly rate drops to $149 per night. The “Moose” rooms include two queen beds, for $299 per night ($239 per night with the discount). There’s an additional $20 per night charge for taxes. Two passes to the swimming pool and hot springs are included with each room. Call 907-451-8104.

9. Princess Alaska Lodges and Holland America Hotels, both owned by Carnival Corp., are offering a season-long special of 50% off the second night. Princess has lodges in Cooper Landing, near Copper Center, in Fairbanks, near Talkeetna and near the entrance to Denali National Park. Holland America has hotels near Denali, in Dawson City and Skagway.

Princess also operates private rail cars between Anchorage and Denali, featuring package pricing with the Princess resorts along the way. Princess is offering a 25% discount on the packages. For a three-day/two-night package from Anchorage to the Mt. McKinley Princess near Talkeetna, the price is $599 per person, double occupancy. That includes train fare, transfers from the Talkeetna train station to the lodge, 60 miles, and accommodations at the lodge.

10. Prices on airfare to select destinations in Europe are lower this summer on Condor‘s nonstop flight to Frankfurt. Fly nonstop between Anchorage and Frankfurt between now and July 8 for $670-$700 round-trip, or later in the summer between Aug. 8 and Sept. 17. That’s the basic economy price, so it costs more for checked bags, advance seat assignments and a host of other “extras.” Almost every single traveler will end up paying more.

Similar prices are available for flights on Condor to Rome, Milan, Berlin and Zurich.

Several operators indicated more discounts may be available for travel later in the summer.

Alaska resident discounts are not a universal feature for all operators or hotels. But there are many more of these offers this summer. If you’re planning a trip around the state this year, it’s worthwhile to check to see if a “locals” discount applies!

It’s only been a few months, but after observing recent actions in Congress, I feel compelled to speak out. The House’s passage of the so-called “budget” bill represents a profound failure to lead, and the fact that Alaska’s lone representative cast the deciding vote makes it especially painful, as that member is my nephew, Nick Begich.

I had hoped — both for Alaska’s sake and our family — that Nick would chart an independent course in Congress, as Don Young, Mary Peltola and even my father once did. I hoped he would challenge falsehoods and act in Alaska’s best interests, not follow the lead of a president widely viewed as the most corrupt in our lifetime. I was wrong.

Nick has voted in lockstep with this administration — earning an early endorsement from the president — and has done so despite the consequences to our state. As reported by the Anchorage Daily News, Nick claimed on social media that the bill “marks the single most significant step toward restoring fiscal sanity in a generation.” That statement is demonstrably false.

This bill does not reduce the deficit. It extends tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits, which help Alaskans survive. If Alaska tries to shield our residents from these cuts, we could face at least a $63 million shortfall. Even with these harsh sacrifices, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill will add trillions to the federal deficit. That’s not fiscal responsibility — it’s deception. To claim otherwise is to follow the Trump playbook: say something loud enough, and hope no one notices the truth.

But the bill goes even further. One provision removes the courts’ ability to hold government officials in contempt for defying court orders, effectively eliminating a vital check on executive power. With this change, any administration could disregard court rulings — with impunity — unless a citizen can afford an expensive legal battle. This is not a partisan issue. Republican or Democrat, every American should be concerned by this blatant attempt to weaken the judicial branch and undermine the rule of law.

My father, Rep. Nick Begich Sr., worked across the aisle in the 1970s to help settle the Alaska Native Land Claims, secure the pipeline right-of-way and protect Alaska’s most vulnerable. As a professor and legislator, he understood the importance of checks and balances. He knew that winning didn’t mean destroying your opponents or silencing dissent. He would be outraged by this administration’s disregard for democratic norms — and by the complicity of those who remain silent. He would have spoken up.

My nephew may share my father’s name, but he does not share his values. If he did, he would speak up against corruption. He would reject authoritarian tactics and defend the right to dissent. He would stand with the Alaskans who have the least power and the most to lose.

Instead, he has chosen a darker road — one where dissent is punished, courts are weakened, and the concentration of power is celebrated. That is not the America my father served. It is not the Alaska I know.

I hope Nick reads this. I hope he remembers that leadership means more than loyalty to a party or a president. It means doing the hard thing when it’s right. It means standing alone if necessary, for the people you represent. There is still time to choose a different path — one of integrity and courage. One that honors the legacy of those who came before and reminds us of what public service can truly be.

Tom Begich is a former minority leader of the Alaska State Senate and the executive director of the Nicholas J. and Pegge Begich Public Service Fund. His views here are his own and do not represent the fund.

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The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.

National Maritime Day is May 22. It’s a small but important holiday recognizing the hard work that goes into a career at sea. Alaska is home to thousands of mariners, including fishermen, navigators, maintenance specialists and law enforcement.

KUCB’s Andy Lusk linked up with some local maritime professionals to hear about their experiences in the industry. This audio postcard features some of those interviews.

Thank you to those who interviewed for this story:

Karoly “Charlie” Gaspar

Timothy Davis

Steve White

David Arzt

Phillip Thorne