Cruise lines and officials from Juneau, Alaska, have signed an agreement to limit the number of cruise passengers who can disembark in the state’s capital, with extra restrictions on Saturdays.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 3 by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), limits the total number of cruise ship passengers allowed to disembark in Juneau to 16 000 every day of the week, except Saturday, which has a more restrictive cap of 12 000.
The agreement also calls for the city and cruise line officials to review the limits annually, optimise port call schedules and uphold community tourism goals, reports recommend.com.
Last year, the city and CLIA agreed to limit port calls in Juneau to five large ships daily. However, there were still days when more than 20 000 cruise passengers would disembark.
According to Juneau Visitor Industry Director Alexandra Pierce, a record 1,64 million cruise ship passengers visited Juneau in 2023; a 40% increase from 2022 and a 30% hike compared with 2019, when the previous record for visitation was set.
The additional cap followed the publishing of the 2023 Juneau Tourism Survey, which found that a third of Juneau residents wanted cruise visits to stabilise, while 31% said visits should be slightly lower, and 19% said visits should be much lower.
