![Critics argue that new agreement aimed at limiting cruise passengers in Alaska’s capital falls short of expectations. Critics argue that new agreement aimed at limiting cruise passengers in Alaska’s capital falls short of expectations.](https://i3.wp.com/s.abcnews.com/images/Travel/wirestory_7f772e78adeb52dfda17db4775be14ca_16x9_992.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
A new agreement between Alaska‘s capital and major cruise lines seeks to limit the daily number of cruise passengers arriving in Juneau starting in 2026.
By
BECKY BOHRER KeynoteUSA
June 4, 2024, 7:27 pm Eastern Time
• 4 minute reading
JUNEAU, Alaska – A new agreement between Alaska’s capital and major cruise lines seeks to limit the daily number of cruise passengers arriving in Juneau starting in 2026, although a prominent critic of the cruise industry said Tuesday that the planned limits are not sufficient. .
The agreement, finalized late last week, seeks a daily limit of 16,000 cruise passengers from Sunday to Friday and 12,000 on Saturdays. However, officials said that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be that many people every day.
Cruise passenger numbers rose rapidly after two years of pandemic delays, reaching a record of more than 1.6 million passengers in Juneau last year. This has caused tension between businesses that rely on tourism and residents who are fed up with increased traffic, crowded trails and the hum of helicopters ferrying visitors to the glaciers.
Cruise seasons have also lengthened: This year’s first ship will arrive in Juneau in early April and the last will arrive in late October. On peak days in the past, ridership amounted to about two-thirds of Juneau’s population of about 32,000 people.
A daily limit of five large boats came into effect with the current season, as part of a separate agreement signed last year.
Alexandra Pierce, Juneau’s visitor industry director, said Tuesday that the goal of the current agreement is to keep the number of cruise passengers more or less stable, in the range of 1.6 million.
“The idea is that the agreement gives everyone time not only to see if it is sustainable but also to build the infrastructure that will help it feel more sustainable,” he said.
Pierce said he expects a number of projects to be completed over the next five years “that will help make our current numbers seem less shocking.” He cited plans for a gondola at the city-owned ski area, upgrades to the downtown boardwalk and increased visitor capacity at the popular Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area.
The agreement, which was signed by the city manager and the cruise lines’ top executives, also calls for annual meetings to “review lessons learned, review and optimize next season’s operations, and align parameters, objectives and opportunities.” of the community and industry.
Pierce said city leaders are “trying to balance the needs of our residents, the needs of our economy and the needs for future opportunities for people to remain in our community.”
Karla Hart, a longtime industry critic, is skeptical of the new agreement and says it does not do enough to address many residents’ concerns that current levels of tourism are unsustainable.
“It feels like they’re just taking us back, and the expansion will continue and more time will pass” and the impacts will continue, he said.
Hart is helping push a local ballot initiative proposal that would institute “shipless Saturdays,” with no cruise ships with a capacity of at least 250 passengers stopping in Juneau on Saturdays or the Fourth of July. measure is underway. If the measure is certified, it could appear on the October ballot.
Renée Limoge Reeve, vice president of government and community relations for the Alaska Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group, said the initiatives “eliminate the opportunity for collaboration and discussion, and I think that leaves a lot to be desired.”
He said the deals with Juneau are the first agreements of their kind the industry has signed in Alaska and underscore the cruise lines’ commitment “to being good partners in the communities we visit.” Juneau and other Southeast Alaska communities are popular stops on cruises departing from Seattle or Vancouver. The much smaller community of Sitka has also been grappling with the debate over tourism numbers.
Reeve and Pierce also participated in a Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce news conference Tuesday to discuss the deal.
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