Current:Home > InvestAlaska set to limit daily number of cruise ship passengers who can visit Juneau -Blueprint Money Mastery
Alaska set to limit daily number of cruise ship passengers who can visit Juneau
Ethermac View
Date:2025-04-07 00:44:50
Cruise aficionados looking to experience Alaska's capital, Juneau, may have to vie for permission to disembark and step foot on land, under a new agreement between the city and major cruise lines that sail there.
The agreement between Juneau and Cruise Lines International Association in Alaska (CLIA), finalized last week, seeks to limit the number of daily cruise passengers who can arrive in Juneau to 16,000 on Sundays through Fridays, and to 12,000 on Saturdays, effective in 2026.
The measure intends to limit the congestion and wear and tear tourists can cause a city. Visitors to Juneau skyrocketed to a record 1.6 million last year, after the pandemic depressed numbers for two years. Other popular cities have taken similar measures to limit tourists and their effect on daily life for residents. For example, Venice, Italy, in April became the first city in the world to charge day-trippers a fee just to enter on peak days.
Alaska's new agreement is designed to cap levels of visitors to roughly where they are now.
"The cruise industry is vital to our local economy, and we need to improve our infrastructure and grow our tour capacity to create a great guest experience and reduce impacts on residents," Juneau Visitor Industry director Alexandra Pierce said in a statement Tuesday. "With this agreement, we are committing to a cap to manage our busiest days and to meet annually to ensure that our visitor numbers remain sustainable."
CLIA, the cruise lines association, applauded the measure, calling the agreement "a well-balanced and thoughtful approach to keeping Juneau a great place to live and visit."
"Ongoing, direct dialogue with local communities is the best way to jointly self-regulate to preserve great resident and visitor experiences while providing a predictable market for the many local businesses that rely on the cruise industry," CLIA said in part in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
In Alaska, residents have complained that record numbers of visitors contribute to bad traffic and increase noise pollution when they visit glaciers by helicopter. On the other hand, many local businesses rely on the cruise industry and the steady flow of visitors it provides, the city of Juneau acknowledged in a statement.
Cruise seasons have also been extended from early April to late October, offering year-round residents little reprieve from tourists' presence.
Under a separate agreement, only five large ships are permitted a day during the current cruise season.
Pierce said other projects in the works will also likely diminish the impact tourists have on the city. They include installing a gondola at the city's ski area, updating its downtown sea walk and expanding capacity for visitors at the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area.
City leaders are "trying to balance the needs of our residents, the needs of our economy, the needs of future opportunities for people to stay in our community," she said.
The agreement has its skeptics, though. Cruise industry critic Karla Hart says the new measure isn't sufficient to curb unsustainable levels of tourism. "It feels like we're just getting led along again, and expansion will continue and more time will pass," she said, according to the Associated Press.
Hart is behind a local ballot proposal that would ban ships of at least 250 passengers from stopping in Juneau on Saturdays or on July 4.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report
Megan CerulloMegan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
veryGood! (81)
Related
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- NBA Finals Game 2 highlights: Celtics take 2-0 series lead over Mavericks
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus calls PC comedy complaints a 'red flag' after Jerry Seinfeld comments
- 2024 Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: How to watch, odds
- Sam Taylor
- Tom Hardy Shares Rare Insight Into Family Life With 3 Kids
- Police update number of people injured in Madison rooftop shooting to 12
- Authorities say a person died after a shooting involving an officer at a North Carolina hospital
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- NBA Finals Game 2 highlights: Celtics take 2-0 series lead over Mavericks
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Michael Mosley, British doctor and TV presenter, found dead after vanishing on Greek island
- Crossing guard arrested twice on same day, accused of attacking woman, then TV reporters
- Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup get hitched a second time: See the gorgeous ceremony
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- See the rare, 7-foot sunfish that washed ashore in northern Oregon
- Ex-police officer who once shared cell with Jeffrey Epstein gets life in prison for 4 murders
- Dan Hurley turns down offer from Lakers, will stay at UConn to seek 3rd straight NCAA title
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Reverend James Lawson, civil rights activist and nonviolent protest pioneer dies at 95
Dan Hurley staying at Connecticut after meeting with Los Angeles Lakers about move to NBA
60-year-old Disneyland worker killed falling out moving golf cart, striking her head
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Young person accused of shooting at pride flag, shattering window with BB gun in Oregon
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Are Ready to Put a Spell on Practical Magic 2
Utah judge sets execution date in 1998 murder despite concerns over a new lethal injection cocktail