Alaska limits cruise ship passengers in capital city after 1.6m visitors last year

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Alaska limits cruise ship passengers in capital city after 1.6m visitors last year

Juneau agrees deal with industry body to curtail visits but critics say it does not go far enough to protect quality of life

Campbell MacDiarmid
Sat 15 Jun 2024 08.00 BST
Last modified on Sat 15 Jun 2024 08.03 BST

Alaska’s capital city is to limit the numbers of cruise ship passengers arriving at the port amid concerns over tourism’s growing impact, but a leading critic of the industry has said further measures to protect Alaskans’ quality of life are needed.

Located on the Gastineau Channel in southern Alaska, Juneau has a population of 32,000 and last year received a record 1.65 million cruise ship passengers – a 23% increase from the previous high.

While many businesses encourage the bonanza of tourist dollars, other people are bothered by buzzing helicopters, crowded streets and hiking trails, and damage to the local environment.

Seeking to balance the economic benefits against the effects of high numbers of visitors, the city reached an agreement last week with the Cruise Lines International Association in Alaska that will limit daily cruise passenger arrivals to 16,000 from Sundays to Fridays and to 12,000 on Saturdays.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/15/alaska-capital-juneau-limits-cruise-ship-passengers-record-visitors