Famously described as America’s last frontier and renowned for its wealth of natural wonders, Alaska has become the latest front against the surging tide of overtourism blighting so many destinations.
Now battle lines are being drawn in the state capital Juneau where simmering tensions over the rise in cruise ship visits has prompted the city’s residents to take a stand. Despite other initiatives limiting cruise numbers, locals are pushing for “Ship-free Saturdays” with a proposal to ban cruise ships carrying 250 or more passengers from docking on this day every week to bring a reprieve from the influx of visitors during summer months. The ban would also cover US Independence Day on July 4.
The city’s Assembly has until August 15 to adopt the measure, but if it doesn’t (as seems likely), it will be put to a vote by Juneau residents in October with planned implementation in 2025.
Since the pandemic, Alaska has become increasingly popular for cruise ship calls during the April to October season, with other settlements, such as Sitka, also keen to take action to quell numbers. As one of the most popular stops, Juneau bears the brunt, especially as the city is only accessible by air or sea, with ever-larger ships arriving and towering over its waterfront.
From here visitors head for the Mendenhall Glacier – though climate change has taken its toll with the ice receding significantly over the past two decades.
Last year, arrivals hit a record of more than 1.6 million (up from 1.1 million in 2022), swelling the 32,000-strong population in a wave of cruise ship passengers that locals say threatens to overwhelm them. On peak days, around 18,000 cruise passengers descend on the small city.
The bucket-list attractions of this remote and starkly beautiful state, seven times larger than the UK, attract a steady stream of cruise ships, among them mainstream brands such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises as well as smaller boutique lines.
Two of the largest players, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, have several ships in the region each summer, with sailings largely from the main departure ports of Seattle and Vancouver. Both brands also run wilderness lodges in the Denali National Park where guests can add stays to sailings.
Not surprisingly, tourism is Juneau’s highest earner, raking in $375 million (almost £290 million) in direct spending last year, according to a report by the McKinley Research Group, but some locals feel it lowers quality of life with increased traffic, crowded trails and the frequent noise of sightseeing helicopters.
Cruise industry body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has worked with Juneau’s local authorities to introduce a voluntary limit, which came into force this summer, of no more than five large vessels in port per day. Another agreement, due to take effect in 2026, will limit passenger arrivals to 16,000 daily, aside from Saturdays when the limit is 12,000.
But some residents do not feel this goes far enough. A supporter of Ship-free Saturdays is longstanding resident Deborah Craig who told Associated Press the “overwhelming” number of visitors diminished what residents loved about Juneau.
“It’s about preserving the lifestyle that keeps us in Juneau,” she said. “It is about clean air, clean water, pristine environment and easy access to trails, water sports and nature.”
Karla Hart, another resident, added: “If we have that one day a week without the chaos that comes with the cruise industry, we’ll all be happier and healthier.”
Not everyone wants curbs on cruising, however. Opponents have set up Protect Juneau’s Future, a grassroots coalition of residents, businesses and other interested parties. One of them is Juneau Chamber of Commerce president Laura McDonnell, who believes Ship-free Saturdays would be detrimental to the city’s economy. She said her own business, Caribou Crossings, made 98 per cent of its annual revenue during the summer cruise season.
Protect Juneau’s Future says there are already seven Saturdays without cruise ship visits during the season, with more than half of Saturdays year-round being ship-free. It also estimates that Saturday cruise passengers are expected to bring in nearly $32 million in direct spending to Juneau’s economy next year, a sum that will be lost if Saturday calls are axed.
“Cruise tourism impacts every single sector of Juneau’s economy,” says its website. “Eliminating cruise ship calls every week from an already limited season would create ramifications for the entire community, especially small family-owned businesses.”
One of the group’s supporters, Captain Dan Blanchard, owner and chief executive of UnCruise Adventures, told Telegraph Travel he felt current initiatives ensured the city’s tourism industry remained sustainable while benefitting the community.
“We need not go crazy here,” he cautioned. “We need to support the process by sticking with the common-sense regulations and voluntary agreements that help to strike a balance between the need for viable business and preserving the Alaska I love.”
Five other destinations pushing back against cruise ships
Venice
The first and most famous city that started protests against cruise ships with its No Grandi Navi (no big ships) campaign that succeeded in banning vessels larger than 25,000 tons from the city. They now dock at alternative ports including Marghera, Ravenna and Trieste.
Amsterdam
The Dutch city hit the headlines recently as it announced that from 2026, a maximum of 100 ocean cruise ships annually would be able to dock in the city. Furthermore, it reiterated plans to relocate the cruise terminal outside the city by 2035. Rotterdam is seen as the main alternative.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Disgruntled locals of the quaint New England town voted to limit cruise visitors to 1,000 a day. The restriction came into partial effect this summer as pre-existing cruise ship reservations were honoured, but will be fully implemented in 2025. Alternative stops include New York, Boston, Portland in Maine and the Canadian city of St John in New Brunswick.
Barcelona
Water-spraying protesters targeted all tourists in their latest demonstrations, but the city has also acted to curb cruise ship visits by closing one of its terminals and capping the number of ships to seven at a time. The Catalan city is a key turnaround port where cruises start and finish, though for day stops, some lines are now offering Tarragona, further west.
Key West
Sitting at the tip of the Florida Keys, this chilled-out hamlet has become a flashpoint between residents who voted to ban large cruise ships and cap passenger numbers, and Florida’s legislators who overruled them. More recently, state governor Ron DeSantis approved the new long-term lease for a pier that caters for larger ships. The battle continues.
Source Agencies
