Last year, more than one million people visited Alaska, spending over 900 million dollars. Wilderness is the great commodity here and many new Alaskan companies are offering eco-tours and soft adventure tours such as rafting, kayaking, whale watching, and hiking experiences. Because of the popularity of such activities, we're realizing the need to protect our natural beauty and unique Alaskan lifestyle. Quality must become more important than quantity. These industries have all contributed to the strength of our economy but face an uncertain future in an increasingly global marketplace.
Japan continues to be our top export client with South Korea and Canada ranking second and third.
It's the second highest contributor to the state after oil. These expenditures are pumped back into the communities throughout Alaska. In the U.S., consumption of salmon has more than doubled in the past few years, however, consumption of Alaska salmon has remained static while Chilean and Canadian farmed salmon exports to the U.S. have increased dramatically. To save the industry Alaska is adapting, by adding value to our processing, finding new product development schemes, diversifying our export markets and expanding our existing markets, and most importantly of all, protecting our wild fish stocks through sound management. Forest Products Alaska's forest products have been an important contributor to our economy for over half a century.