According to a forecast recently released by Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, the state is headed for a record number of cruise visitors in 2017. “It brings our ship count to seven this year, creating a 10 percent increase in our overall Alaska capacity,” says Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice president, revenue management for Holland America Line. With new ships of all sizes, new cruise lines, and new itineraries on the horizon, the 49th state is suddenly a hot tourism destination once again. Brimming with wildlife, native cultural heritage and active adventures, some of America’s most rugged, untamed scenery is found in the 49th state. Shore excursions invite cruisers to catch and cook their own fish, head onto glaciers for ice-climbing expeditions, or meet Alaskan huskies at a sled dog camp. [...] the couple booked a cruise with Royal Caribbean aboard Explorer of the Seas, a ship that carries 3,284 passengers at double-occupancy, currently the largest sailing the Inside Passage. [...] Explorer of the Seas still took them to some of Alaska’s most spectacular scenery, three key ports, and journeyed through Tracy Arm, a fjord plugged by the Sawyer Glacier. While the ease of jumping onto a cruise itinerary is perhaps one reason Alaskan tourism is growing, Jillian Simpson, vice president of the Alaska Travel Industry Association, attributes the state’s tourism growth primarily to the strong U.S.