Alaska Village Revives Polar Bear Tours With Local Control

Every late summer, massive polar bears gather outside Kaktovik, Alaska, the only village inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, waiting for sea ice to form. It's a sight that once drew over 1,000 visitors yearly, until the pandemic and federal concerns brought tours to a halt in 2021.

Now, this community of 250 people is writing a new chapter for wildlife tourism. Leaders are working with federal officials to restart bear viewing as early as 2027, but this time on their own terms.

The original boom brought problems alongside profits. Large outside operators flew tourists in for quick day trips, bypassing local hotels and restaurants. Visitors wandered through yards and filmed sacred whale hunts without permission. Worst of all, bears grew too comfortable around humans, forcing the town's bear patrol to kill three or four bears annually instead of just one.

"Our safety was at risk," said Charles Lampe, president of the Kaktovik Inupiat Corp. The village wants strict time limits on boat tours to keep bears wild and wary of humans. Since tours stopped, bears have returned to their natural fear of people.

The changes go beyond safety. Kaktovik leaders insist that local residents, not outside companies, lead the tours. They want visitors to stay for days, not hours, learning about Inupiat culture and subsistence whaling traditions. When crews land a whale and butcher it on the beach, they welcome respectful observers who understand they're witnessing something sacred.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listening. The agency told reporters it's working with Kaktovik "to ensure that any future opportunities are managed in a way that prioritizes visitor safety, resource protection, and community input."

The Ripple Effect

This approach could become a model for Indigenous tourism worldwide. Sherry Rupert, CEO of the American Indigenous Tourism Association, sees Kaktovik's vision as exactly right: visitors who "walk away with a greater understanding of our people and our way of life and our culture."

Roger and Sonia MacKertich visited from Australia in 2019 and spent days immersed in village life. They took elder-led tours, bought local art, and watched polar bears from boats. "That's nearly as good as it gets," Roger said of seeing bears unbothered by human presence.

The stakes are high for both community and wildlife. Polar bears were declared threatened in 2008 as Arctic ice melts, and scientists warn most could disappear by century's end. Tourism could bring millions to Kaktovik's economy while funding conservation and giving the world a chance to witness these magnificent animals.

When tourism returns, it will look different: slower, smaller, and led by the people who call the Arctic home.