Another hotspot to ban cruise ships in bid to reduce ‘overwhelming’ to | World | News
A huge tourism-driven destination is set to ban large cruise ships in a bid to reduce the “overwhelming” numbers of tourists. A new voter initiative aimed at giving residents a respite from the influx has qualified for ballot.
Cruise ships with 250 or more passengers would be banned from docking in Juneau, Alaska’s capital city, on Saturdays. The measure would also stop ships on July 4, a day when locals flock to a downtown parade.
The “ship-free Saturdays” initiative that qualified for a ballot this week will go to voters unless the local assembly enacts a similar measure by August 15, which is seen as unlikely, the Independent reported.
It sets the stage for a debate about the extent of tourism in a city that is experiencing the impacts of climate change first-hand.
Only accessible by water or air, Juneau is home to the Mendenhall Glacier, a major draw for the cruise passengers. Many of the 32,000 residents have raised concerns about increased traffic, congested trails and the frequent sound of sightseeing helicopters transporting visitors to the Mendenhall and other glaciers.
The current “overwhelming” number of visitors diminishes what residents love so much about Juneau, said Deborah Craig to the Independent, a long-term resident who supports the Saturday ban. She said she often hears the early-morning fog horns and broadcast announcements to passengers, across the channel from where the ships dock.
“It’s about preserving the lifestyle that keeps us in Juneau, which is about clean air, clean water, pristine environment and easy access to trails, easy access to water sports and nature,” Craig said.
“There’s this perception that some people are not welcoming of tourists, and that’s not the case at all,” she added. “It’s about volume. It’s about too much — too many in a short period of time overwhelming a small community.”
Opponents of the initiative are concerned that the ban will hurt local businesses which rely heavily on tourism and could result in lawsuits.
Laura McDonnell, a business leader who owns a gift shop in Juneau’s downtown tourist centre and is involved in “Protect Juneau’s Future” which opposes the initiative, said she makes 98 percent of her annual revenue during the summer season.
“I think that as a community, we really need to look at what’s at stake for our economy,” she said. “We are not in a position to be shrinking our economy.”
The current cruise season runs from early April to late October, with Juneau traditionally being the most popular cruise port in the state. Under this year’s schedule, September 21 will be the first day since early May that there will be no large ships in town, the Independent reported.
The industry accounted for £293.3 million in direct spending in Juneau in 2023, most of which was attributed to the spending by passengers, according to a report prepared for the city by McKinley Research Group LLC.
Cruise passenger numbers rose sharply in the capital, hitting a record of over 1.6 million in 2023, after a two year interlude following the pandemic.
Alexandra Pierce, Juneau’s visitor industry director, told the Independent that the tourism debate was polarising and the city has been trying to find a middle ground, while adding that there also needs to be a regional solution.
If the initiative is successful, there will be a knock-on effect in other smaller Alaskan communities in the southeast as the ships – generally on trips originating in Seattle or Vancouver, Canada – will have to go elsewhere if they cannot dock on Saturdays, Pierce said.
Juneau and major cruise lines, including Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group, agreed to a limit of five large ships a day, which took effect earlier this year. They also recently signed a pact – set to take effect in 2026 – seeking a daily limit of 16,000 cruise passengers from Sunday through to Friday and 12,000 on Saturdays.
