JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Each year, a crush of tourists arrives in Alaska's capital city on cruise ships to see wonders like the fast-diminishing Mendenhall...
. Now, long-simmering tensions over Juneau 's tourism boom are coming to a head over a new voter initiative aimed at giving residents a respite from the influx.
The current “overwhelming" number of visitors diminishes what residents love so much about Juneau, she said. Tourism is about all the "local businesses that rely on cruise passengers and our place in the community,” said McDonnell, who is involved in Protect Juneau’s Future, which opposes the initiative.
After a two-year pandemic lull, cruise passenger numbers rose sharply in Juneau, hitting a record of more than 1.6 million in 2023. Under this year's schedule, Sept. 21 will be the first day since early May with no large ships in town. Juneau and major cruise lines, including Carnival Corp., Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group, agreed to a limit of five large ships a day, which took effect this year. They more recently, set to take effect in 2026, seeking a daily limit of 16,000 cruise passengers Sundays through Fridays and 12,000 on Saturdays.
The best strategy is “ongoing, direct dialogue with local communities" and working together in a way that also provides a predictable source of income for local businesses, she said.
Cruise Ships Cruise Passengers JUNEAU Alaska Cruise Passenger Deborah Craig Saturdays Local Businesses
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