(TheConservativeTimes.org) – A new agreement has been set between Alaska’s capital and cruise lines. This agreement will limit the number of cruise ship passengers stopping in Alaska’s capital Juneau.
The agreement says that the limit will be set at sixteen thousand visitors daily every day except Saturday when the limit is set for twelve thousand. Officials have said that this is a number that they may not see daily. Cruises became extremely popular following the end of the pandemic and last year alone Juneay saw a record 1.6 million cruise passengers pass through.
Tensions arose since some businesses rely on tourists, but residents are not happy about the increase of tourists in their city due to increased traffic, busy trails, and increased helicopter movement. On peak days in the past during heavy cruise seasons, there have been almost as many tourists in the area as there are residents.
Alexandra Pierce, Juneau’s visitor industry director, said that the goal was to keep the number of tourists coming in steady. Pierce said, “The idea is that the agreement buys everybody time not only to see if it is sustainable but also to build the infrastructure that will help it feel more sustainable.”
The agreement was signed by the city manager and executives from major cruise lines. The agreement would call for yearly meetings to “review lessons learned, to review and optimize the subsequent season’s operations, and align on community and industry parameters, goals, and opportunities.”
Some critics have spoken out about the true effectiveness of this agreement. Karla Hart, who is a critic of the industry, is skeptical, saying it doesn’t address the concerns of the residents.
Hart states, “It feels like we’re just getting led along again, and expansion will continue and more time will pass and impacts will continue.”
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