JUNEAU, Alaska — Every year, many tourists come to Alaska’s capital on cruise ships to see wonders like the rapidly receding Mendenhall Glacier. Now, long-standing tensions are coming to a head as Juneau’s tourism boom comes to a head over a new voter initiative aimed at giving residents a break from flooding.
A measure that would prohibit cruise ships with 250 or more passengers from docking in Juneau was qualified for Oct. 1. the impact of climate change. The move would also ban boats on July 4, a day when locals take part in parades in the city.
The qualified “Saturday without a ship” initiative will go to the voters this week unless the local Assembly adopts a similar measure on August 15, which seems unlikely.
Juneau, accessible only by water or air, is home to the Mendenhall Glacier, which is a major attraction for cruise passengers arriving on multi-story ships towering over the downtown skyline. Many of the town’s roughly 32,000 residents have concerns about increased traffic, congested roads and the frequent sightings of helicopters that transport visitors to Mendenhall and other glaciers.
Deborah Craig, who has lived in Juneau for decades, supports free shipping. Craig, who lives across the channel from the ship’s wharf, often hears the early morning foghorns and announcements made for passengers that can be heard across the water.
Today’s “huge” number of visitors diminishes what residents love about Juneau, he said.
“It’s about maintaining the lifestyle that keeps us in Juneau, it’s about clean air, clean water, a clean environment and easy access to trails, easy access to water sports and nature,” he said of the initiative.
“There’s a perception that some people don’t welcome tourists, and that’s not the case,” Craig said. “It’s about volume. It’s too much — too much in such a short period of time that it disrupts small communities.”
The current sailing season runs from early April to late October.
Opponents of the initiative say restricting docking will hurt local businesses that rely heavily on tourism and could invite lawsuits. A voter-approved limit on the number of cruise passengers in Bar Harbor, Maine, another community with a significant tourism economy, is being challenged in federal court.
Laura McDonnell, business leader who owns Caribou Crossings, a gift shop in Juneau’s downtown tourist hub, said she gets 98% of her annual revenue during the summer.
Tourism is about all the “local businesses that rely on cruise passengers and our place in the community,” said McDonnell, who is involved with Protect Juneau’s Future, which opposes the initiative.
Several schools have recently closed due to factors including declining enrollment, while the regional economy faces challenges, he said.
“I think that as a community, we really need to look at what’s at stake for our economy,” he said.
The cruise industry recorded $375 million in direct spending in Juneau by 2023, largely due to passenger fees, according to a report prepared for the city by McKinley Research Group LLC.
After a two-year pandemic lull, the number of cruise passengers has increased dramatically in Juneau, setting a record of more than 1.6 million in 2023. On this year’s schedule, September 21 will be the first day since early May without a large ship in town.
The tourism debate is polarizing, and the city has been trying to find a middle ground, said Alexandra Pierce, Juneau’s director of visitor industries. But he noted there should also be a regional solution.
If the Juneau initiative passes, it will affect other smaller communities in southeast Alaska because the ships, most of which are on trips originating from Seattle or Vancouver, Canada, will have to go somewhere else if they can’t dock in Juneau on Saturday, he said.
Some residents of Sitka, south of Juneau, are in the early stages of trying to limit cruise visits to the small island community, which is close to a volcano.
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 per day, which takes effect this year. They recently signed a pact, which will take effect in 2026, seeking a daily limit of 16,000 passengers sailing Sunday to Friday and 12,000 on Saturdays.
Pierce said the overall goal is to have a total of 1.6 million cruise passenger visits, and even that number of daily visitors can climb to about 18,000 on the busiest days and feel “a little crowded.” Juneau is the most popular cruise. port in the country.
Several projects around Juneau are expected to help keep existing cruise numbers unaffected. That includes plans for a gondola at the city-owned ski area and increasing visitor capacity at the Mendenhall Glacier recreation area, he said.
Renée Limoge Reeve, vice president of government and public relations for the Alaska Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said the agreement signed with the city is the first of its kind in Alaska.
The best strategy is “direct and continuous dialogue with local communities” and cooperation in a way that also provides a predictable source of income for local businesses, he said.
Protecting Juneau’s Future, led by local business leaders, said the success of the ballot measure means the loss of sales tax revenue and millions of dollars in direct spending by cruise passengers. The group is confident voters will reject the measure, the steering committee said in a statement.
Karla Hart, a sponsor of the initiative and critic of the cruise industry, said the threat of litigation has kept communities from taking steps to limit cruise numbers in the past. He was pleased with a legal victory this year in an ongoing battle over measures taken in Bar Harbor, a popular destination near Maine’s Acadia National Park.
He believes the Juneau initiative will pass.
“Every person who is going to vote has life experience and knowledge about the impact of the shipping industry on their lives,” he said.
