Alaskan tourist hotspot fed up with cruise ships considers drastic move to give locals a break from pesky visitors

Voters surviving successful nan superior metropolis of Alaska could walk a measurement that would severely limit nan introduction of cruise ships, a imaginable triumph for locals who person agelong been upset complete nan never-ending flood of tourists. 

The measure, if passed connected October 1, would prohibition cruise ships pinch 250 aliases much passengers from docking successful Juneau connected Saturdays, stopping throngs of visitors from seeing wonders for illustration nan quickly pouring Mendenhall Glacier.

It would besides prohibition ships connected July 4, a time erstwhile locals flock to a celebrated parade successful downtown. 

The 'ship-free Saturdays' inaugural qualified for nan ballot this week, though location is an extracurricular chance nan section assembly enacts it earlier it goes to voters.

Many of nan 32,000 residents of Juneau, a metropolis accessible only by h2o aliases air, are simply fed up with increased traffic, congested hiking trails and nan predominant buzz of sight-seeing helicopters transporting visitors to nan Mendenhall and different glaciers.

Longtime resident Deborah Craig supports ship-free Saturdays because she's peculiarly affected by nan tourism hustle and bustle, living across nan transmission from wherever nan ships dock.

Almost each morning, she hears their fog horns and rider broadcast announcements.

She said nan 'overwhelming' number of visitors diminishes what she and others who've lived successful Juneau for decades emotion astir it.

'It's astir preserving nan manner that keeps america successful Juneau, which is astir cleanable air, cleanable water, pristine situation and easy entree to trails, easy entree to h2o sports and nature,' she said of nan initiative. 

'There's this cognition that immoderate group are not welcoming of tourists, and that's not nan lawsuit astatine all,' Craig added. 

'It's astir volume. It's astir excessively overmuch — excessively galore successful a short play of clip overwhelming a mini community.' 

The existent cruise play runs from early April to precocious October.

The opponents of nan measurement opportunity restricting tourism connected a highest time for illustration Saturday will harm section businesses pinch decreased ft traffic, adding that if it is passed, nan metropolis could beryllium sued. 

They pointed to erstwhile conscionable past year, a voter-imposed limit connected nan number of cruise passengers successful Bar Harbor, Maine, was challenged successful national court. 

Laura McDonnell, who owns gift shop Caribou Crossings successful downtown Juneau, said she makes 98 percent of her gross during nan summertime season.

Tourism is astir each nan 'local businesses that trust connected cruise passengers and our spot successful nan community,' said McDonnell, who is progressive successful Protect Juneau's Future, which opposes nan initiative. 

At a clip erstwhile location economical challenges are rampant and schools are closing because of declining enrollment, McDonnell said voters successful favour of nan measurement should really rethink their position.

'I deliberation that arsenic a community, we really request to look astatine what's astatine liking for our economy,' she said. 'We are not successful a position to beryllium shrinking our economy.' 

The cruise manufacture accounted for $375 cardinal successful nonstop spending successful Juneau successful 2023, astir of that attributable to spending by passengers, according to a study prepared for nan metropolis by McKinley Research Group LLC.

After a two-year pandemic lull, cruise rider numbers roseate sharply successful Juneau, hitting a grounds of much than 1.6 cardinal successful 2023. 

Under this year's schedule, September 21 will beryllium nan first time since early May pinch nary ample ships successful town. 

The statement betwixt group like Craig who want to support nan quiet beauty of Juneau and group like McDonnell who person a business to interest astir will apt rage connected successful nan months starring up to nan vote.

As such, nan metropolis has been trying to find a mediate ground, said Alexandra Pierce, Juneau's visitant manufacture director.

She added that a location solution, not conscionable 1 tailored to Juneau, must beryllium found.

She explained if nan Juneau solution passes, it will effect smaller towns and cities successful southeast Alaska because nan ships, mostly connected trips originating successful Seattle aliases Vancouver, Canada, will person to spell location if they can't dock successful Juneau connected Saturdays.

But immoderate smaller communities for illustration Sitka, which is southbound of Juneau and location to a volcano, person besides expressed support for limiting cruise ships.

The mediate crushed Juneau has attempted to onslaught involves making deals pinch nan ample cruise liners to trim down connected nan sheer number of boats.

The metropolis and Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group, agreed to a limit of 5 ample ships a day.

That limit took effect this year.

They besides precocious signed a pact, group to spell into unit by 2026, limiting nan number of cruise passengers to 16,000 connected Fridays and 12,000 connected Saturdays.

Pierce said nan wide extremity is to support full cruise rider visitation astir 1.6 cardinal for nan summer, and to moreover retired regular numbers of visitors that tin spike to astir 18,000 connected nan busiest days. 

Peak days successful nan past person felt 'a spot suffocating,' she said. 

Renée Limoge Reeve, vice president of authorities and organization relations for nan waste and acquisition group Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, said nan agreements signed betwixt nan metropolis and nan cruise companies were nan first of their benignant successful Alaska. 

Protect Juneau's Future, led by section business leaders, said nan occurrence of nan ballot measurement would mean a nonaccomplishment of income taxation gross and millions of dollars successful nonstop spending by cruise passengers. 

The group was assured voters would cull nan measure, its steering committee said successful a statement. 

Karla Hart, a sponsor of nan inaugural and predominant professional of nan cruise industry, said nan threat of litigation has kept communities from taking steps to limit cruise numbers successful nan past.

She pointed retired nan defendants had immoderate awesome ineligible wins this twelvemonth successful nan ongoing suit from businesses complete nan akin measurement passed successful Bar Harbor, a celebrated destination adjacent Maine's Acadia National Park. 

Hart believes nan inaugural will walk successful Juneau.

'Every azygous personification who is going to ballot has a lived acquisition and knowledge of really nan cruise manufacture impacts their lives,' she said.