Another Alaska City Wants To Limit Cruise Tourism—Here’s How It Could Affect Visitors And Residents

Residents of multiple Alaskan city are fighting a dilemma: whether or not to set particular limits on cruise ship arrivals and passengers. These ships convey financial advantages, but additionally create congestion and overcrowding of native sights that may really feel disruptive to locals.

In Juneau, the state capital and one of Alaska’s most scenic destinations, it generally looks as if there are as many passengers on the town as residents. Truly, there are solely about 21,000 guests at peak durations in comparison with 32,000 residents, however that’s nonetheless an unlimited pressure on the native infrastructure.

Juneau already has an settlement with cruise ships to look at sure limits on cruise numbers, however much more are being instructed in upcoming poll measures. They’re not alone in pushing for brand spanking new initiatives, as the popular Alaskan town of Sitka also has an upcoming vote on limiting cruise tourism.

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Why Juneau Residents Are Pushing For Extra Cruise Ship Limits

Giant numbers of vacationers descend in town throughout its excessive season

With its beautiful surroundings, glaciers, and seasonal whale watching, Juneau is likely one of the places you need to see in Alaska. Nonetheless, on condition that the annual vacationer season is just about 22 weeks lengthy, from Might by September, it usually feels to residents that they’re overwhelmed throughout this era and that it’s tougher to benefit from the city’s sights themselves, the rationale many moved there within the first place.

Cruise ships alone have introduced document numbers of passengers over the previous two seasons: 1.64 million in 2023 and 1.68 million in 2024, straining infrastructure that the city admits must be improved. That pressure led to the five-ship-per-day restrict already in place by an settlement with the cruise ship business, and every day passenger limits (16,000 Sunday to Friday, 12,000 on Saturday) are resulting from take impact in 2026.

“The town’s place is that we shouldn’t have room for cruise progress with our present infrastructure,” famous Alexandra Pierce, the city’s tourism supervisor, to The Guardian. “We have now negotiated the every day passenger limits to convey down our busiest days.”

Poll measures at present set for votes in Juneau and Sitka might additional curtail passenger numbers, an end result many residents need. Others, in the meantime, are apprehensive concerning the potential financial impacts. Each passenger spends about $100 on average; thus, cruise ships introduced over 100 million {dollars} to Juneau enterprise homeowners final yr.

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What New Poll Measures In Juneau And Sitka Imply To Cruise Ship Guests

Extra competitors for fewer bookings throughout the summer time months

A brand new poll petition awaits approval by the clerk’s workplace in Juneau that proposes additional caps on cruise ship numbers, together with an annual restrict of 1.5 million passengers per yr and a ban on ships carrying over 250 passengers earlier than Might 1 or after September 30. These dates symbolize what is named the “shoulder season” in Juneau, when it’s tougher for native exercise operators and companies to seek out employees.

In the meantime, in Sitka, the largest city in the U.S. by area and one with abundant attractions and things to do, residents will vote on Might 28 on a poll measure to cap every day and annual guests (4,500 and 300,000, respectively) and to make sure there’s at some point every week with no port calls. An analogous measure to the latter, known as “Ship-Free Saturday,” was defeated final yr in Juneau.

What does all this imply for individuals who need to take Alaska cruises? Not a lot, but. The five-ship-per-day restrict is already being noticed in Juneau, however different proposed caps haven’t taken impact but and should not in the event that they don’t discover voter approval. If the poll initiatives are accredited, there’ll possible be extra competitors to ebook cruises to Juneau and Sitka throughout the summer time months within the coming years.

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Worldwide Locations Have Additionally Put Limits on Cruise Ships

Together with ports of name in Europe and Polynesia

Cruise ship limits or bans aren’t fashionable within the U.S., though as soon as the town council in Monterey, California, determined to take away assist for ships in 2023, no extra have visited. Nonetheless, in Europe, the place overtourism has been a hot-button concern in locations like Spain and Italy, there are limits in place for just a few extra locations.

Good, Venice, Amsterdam, and Palma de Mallorca have every instituted bans or limits. In Good, as an example, a brand new rule will go into impact in July prohibiting cruise ships carrying over 900 passengers. No bigger cruise ships have been permitted in Venice’s Giudecca Canal since 2021, though they’ll dock on the Marghera industrial port.

Amsterdam and Palma de Mallorca have set every day ship caps as properly, with the previous set to permit only 100 annually and the latter permitting not more than three at any given time. Bora Bora in French Polynesia has capped cruise ship passengers, too, with 1,200 per day as the utmost allowed.