In the afternoon of a cloudy Monday in Juneau A small welcome group of people was gathered in the Alaska Steam dock, in the shadow of the majestic Norwegian Bliss. The passenger ship of 4,000 passengers was the first ship of 2023’s season.
The steady flow of guests headed up the ramp of the ship and down to the shoreline and were welcomed with a round of applause as well as maps, tour announcements and an adorable whale mascot waiting to take photos.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Welcome to Juneau everyone,” said longtime resident Tom Sullivan, who stood at the highest point on the ramp. “Have an amazing time. I’m glad to see you here. .”
Some are not happy. Before the Norwegian Bliss was due to dock, several major cruise lines reached an arrangement with Borough and City of Juneau to follow a daily limit of five ships from 2024. A few community members feel that does not go far enough.
Sue Schrader was among a small group of protesters on the dock. They held up picket signs and a huge banner designed so that it could be seen from decks of cruise ships. The banner read “Communities to Stop the Cruise Industry Pollution .”
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Cruising is a risk,” Schrader said. “We do not want to be annoying those who travel with us, however they have to be aware .”
The protesters are concerned that the limit of five ships isn’t enough and it’s too early. They are of the opinion that the number of cruise passengers in Juneau has already increased too much. The 2023 season is predicted to break records having 30% higher cruise travelers than in 2019.
” style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”There remains to be an endless growth,” Schrader said. “And we’re urging our elected officials and city officials to be serious regarding the issue. .”
Five ships can be a very busy day. But it’s possible that five ships is the best Juneau could do. The limit is a result of an agreement that was negotiated for a long time between Juneau’s city government and Cruise Lines International Association, which is a trade association which represents all of the world’s top cruise lines. It’s among the few agreements like this in the world.
The daily limit isn’t legally binding — it’s an agreement in good faith. The limit doesn’t affect passengers’ numbers, given that the capacity of ships is growing across the entire industry.
In the course of discussions, a few community members demanded a more strict limit for vessels — ranging from three to four ships per day. But Assembly member Maria Gladziszewski recently said the city “would be in litigation immediately” after such a move. In 2016 the cruise industry brought an action against the city over the city’s use of marine passengers’ fees. Some city officials have expressed concerns over the possibility of further lawsuits.
The agreement is a sign of the city playing a greater role when it comes to managing visitors’ numbers before, and could allow visitors more time to create new tourist attractions and improve infrastructure to accommodate the increasing amount of tourists.
Its style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”This agreement gives our community the security we must think about our future.” the city’s Tourism Director Alexandra Pierce wrote in the press announcement. “It’s important that we keep the qualities which make Juneau an amazing location to live and enjoy visit. .”
Juneau has been divided for a long time over whether the cruise ship industry is beneficial or detrimental to the local community. A majority of people are somewhere between. However, Sullivan who travelled out to meet Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Bliss, said it was an honor to have numerous visitors to the area that he’s lived in for 40 years.
It’s a beautiful place to live. style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s an extremely important economic factor in our town,” he said. “But most important, I think it’s truly special that one million and a half people are drawn to the tiny town of 30,000 I reside in due to its stunning beauty. .”
In the months ahead the Tuesday’s visit to Juneau will appear uninteresting in the standards of. On certain days, the Juneau port can accommodate more than six ships.
