Juneau Tours

What Juneau Tours does

Juneau Tours and Excursions is a privately held, family-owned Alaskan tour operator founded in 1998 by Sky Bonnell, headquartered in Juneau with a secondary operational location in Skagway. The company's core function is providing seasonal (April–September) shore excursions — principally whale watching, glacier viewing, and city sightseeing — to cruise ship passengers and independent travelers visiting Southeast Alaska. It carries on its books approximately 90,000 guests per summer, claims the title of largest independent tour provider in Southeast Alaska, holds the #1 TripAdvisor ranking in its category with over 21,500 five-star reviews, and was a founding member (2015) of the NOAA Fisheries Whale SENSE program. Day-to-day operations are managed by Serene Hutchinson, the founder's sister, with a 60+-employee workforce reporting a 70% retention rate.

The underlying operating platform is a custom-built fleet of six vessels — four catamarans (Atlin, Chilkat, L'ook, Rochelle B) constructed by Bay Welding/Coastwise Corporations and Armstrong Marine, and two jet boats (K'eet, S'eek) built by Bentz Boats — supplemented by motor-coach buses and classic trolleys for ground transfer. Vessel features include heated cabins, multiple viewing decks, marine toilets, and onboard naturalists for educational commentary. Core inventory comprises four publicly listed products (Mendenhall Glacier Shuttle Tour from $65, Juneau Whale Watching from $155, Whale Watch & Glacier Combo from $199, and City Trolley Tour from $50) plus two private options (Private Bus Tour and Private Whale Watching Charter at $2,999 for 24 seats and $5,999 for 49 seats). The company underwrites a 100% whale-sighting guarantee (May 15–September 15) and a No Port-No Pay refund policy tied to cruise ship arrivals.

Juneau Tours monetizes through per-ticket direct bookings on juneautours.com, commissionable B2B bookings with travel advisors and inbound tour operators, premium private charter sales (weddings, corporate events, family reunions), and indirect referrals via cruise line shore-excursion desks. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via the company website and phone/text, channel partnerships with travel trade, and physical dock presence at the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway meeting location directly in front of the cruise ship docks. Promo-code-led conversion efforts (FIVEOFF, 6ONLINE10) and tiered cancellation/refund policies support booking conversion, while marketing emphasizes organic channels — content/SEO, Instagram, Facebook, and review platform optimization — to capture demand without paying OTA commissions.

Name

Juneau Tours

Legal name

Juneau Tours and Excursions

Website

https://juneautours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Juneau Tours is a family-owned, seasonal Alaska tour operator founded in 1998 that runs whale watching, glacier, and city excursions from Juneau and Skagway, serving approximately 90,000 cruise ship passengers and independent travelers each summer via a six-vessel custom fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Whale Watching and Glacier Tour Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Whale watching tours
• Glacier excursion services
• Cruise shore excursions
• Wildlife viewing tours
• Private boat charters

Headquarters

HQ city

Juneau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Guided Tour Tickets: Revenue from selling tickets to various tours including whale watching, glacier shuttles, city trolley tours, and combo tours. Tours are priced per person with different price points based on duration and inclusions. Main revenue stream serving approximately 90,000 guests annually.
2. Private Charters: Private boat and bus charters for groups. Vessels available from 6-passenger to 49-passenger options. Vessels like Rochelle B and Chilkat feature bar areas for events including weddings, anniversaries, and corporate events.
3. B2B/Group Bookings: Commissionable bookings through travel advisors, inbound tour operators, and group coordinators. Flexible payment arrangements for high-volume partners booking groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Juneau Tours operates guided whale watching, glacier, and city sightseeing excursions in Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, primarily serving cruise ship passengers and independent travelers. The company offers scheduled group tours (whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier shuttle, glacier-whale combo, and city trolley) and private boat/bus charters using a custom fleet of six vessels and bus transportation, with a 100% whale sighting guarantee during the May 15 to September 15 season.

Product overview

Juneau Tours operates as a tour operator offering a portfolio of wildlife and sightseeing experiences centered on whale watching, glacier viewing, and city tours in Juneau, Alaska. The core product lineup includes the Mendenhall Glacier Shuttle Tour, the Juneau Whale Watch & Mendenhall Glacier Combo Tour, the Juneau Whale Watching Tour, and the City Trolley Tour. These are complemented by private versions of the whale watching and bus tour offerings for groups seeking exclusive experiences. The company operates a fleet of six custom-designed whale watching vessels (four catamarans and two jet boats) and coordinates ground transportation to serve cruise ship passengers and independent travelers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mendenhall Glacier Shuttle Tour

Quantifiable outcome

• 90,000 guests served per summer season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bay WeldingminorOthers · 1 January 2017Homer-based boat builder that constructed the Atlin vessel - a 48-foot Alaskan marine-grade whale watching catamaran with quad 350 HP Yamaha outboard motors.
• Coastwise CorporationsminorOthers · 1 January 2017Designed the Atlin vessel - custom whale watching catamaran built to order. Produced the striking design, layout and smart ergonomics expected in a custom vessel.
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-sponsor of Whale SENSE program - voluntary education and recognition initiative for commercial whale watching companies in U.S. Atlantic and Alaska regions. Program developed in collaboration with the whale watching industry.
• Whale and Dolphin ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-sponsor of Whale SENSE program alongside NOAA Fisheries. Organization dedicated to whale and dolphin conservation worldwide.
• Armstrong MarineminorOthers · 1 January 2012Boat builder that constructed several vessels in the fleet: Chilkat (2015), L'ook (2013), and Rochelle B (2012). Armstrong Marine built spacious catamarans with various motor configurations.
• Bentz BoatsminorOthers · 1 January 2011Boat builder that constructed K'eet (2012) and S'eek (2011) - jet boats for the fleet. K'eet is a 35-foot vessel for up to 28 passengers; S'eek is a 34-foot vessel for up to 26 passengers.
• Goldbelt Mount Roberts TramwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for meeting location. All tours meet downtown in front of the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway, centrally located at cruise ship docks. Partnership enables convenient access for cruise passengers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Major Marine Tours: Kenai Fjords-area operator running glacier and wildlife cruises out of Seward. Direct product (custom-built sightseeing catamarans, narrated wildlife/glacier tours) but a different geography (Kenai Peninsula), serving itineraries that compete for the same Alaska cruise passenger dollar at an alternative port.

Broad incumbents

• Lindblad Expeditions: National Geographic-affiliated expedition cruise line that runs Alaska itineraries including whale watching, glacier visits, and Inside Passage routing. Comparable on the wildlife-and-glacier sightseeing product for cruise passengers, but a fundamentally larger and broader scale operator with ship-based rather than day-boat delivery.

Direct peers

• Phillips Cruises and Tours: Juneau-based tour operator running the 26 Glacier Cruise plus whale watching experiences with their own vessel fleet. Direct overlap in product (whale watching + glacier tours), geography (Juneau), and customer base (cruise passengers) makes this the closest comparable operator in the market.
• Allen Marine Tours: Established Alaska marine tour operator with itineraries spanning Juneau and Sitka, offering whale watching, glacier, and wildlife cruises out of multiple ports. Direct competitor on both the marine tour product and the Southeast Alaska geography, with a multi-vessel operation similar to Juneau Tours' fleet model.
• Auke Bay Adventures: Auke Bay (Juneau) operator running small-vessel whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier excursions. Direct overlap in boat-based wildlife tours and a closely matching product/customer profile, making them a same-port competitor for the same cruise passenger traffic.
• Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska: Juneau-based whale watching excursion operator running small-group tours in Auke Bay with custom vessels. Direct comparison on the whale watching product, the same harbor origin, and the same cruise ship passenger target segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JuneauToursAndWhaleWatch
• Instagraminstagram.com/juneauwhalewatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/juneau-tours-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Juneau Tours