A proposal in Juneau, Alaska, to make Saturdays a “ship-free day” has been rejected in a public vote. The final results of the recent ballot are in, with around 60% voting no.
Out of the 28,113 eligible residents, 10,880 voted, with only 4,196 in favor of the cruise ship Saturday restriction.
Other Cruise Ship Limits Already in Force
The ship-free Saturday proposal is just one measure the city has discussed or implemented to limit the negative impact of cruise tourism.
Juneau has agreed to a limit of five cruise ships per day and secured agreements from the major cruise lines to cap the number of daily cruise passengers at 16,000 from 2026. There is a lower cap of 12,000 specifically for Saturdays.
Juneau, which has a permanent population of less than 30,000, welcomes up to 20,000 cruise guests during the busiest days. In 2023, it received more than 1.6 million.
For some residents who voted ‘no’ to a ship-free Saturday, the measure didn’t adequately balance the needs of residents and business owners reliant on cruise tourism.
Read More: Seeing Alaska’s Sawyer, Glacier on a Cruise
“Ship pollution and excessive visitor traffic is very real, but banning them for an entire day is not the answer,” said resident Laura Murray. “We need to find a better solution, introducing measures that will protect our environment without hurting the local economy.”
The Cruise Industry is Big Money for Alaska
According to city government data, the cruise industry generated revenues of about $30 million for local businesses on Saturdays alone last year.
Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corp (CCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) each funded several thousand dollars to push for a ‘no’ vote, and a group of local businesses called ‘Protect Juneau’s Future’ raised over $350,000 to fund its campaign against it
“We believe joint, collaborative, and direct dialogue is the best way to maintain balanced and effective tourism management to ensure long-term economic stability and livelihoods in Juneau,” trade group Cruise Lines International Association said.
The news comes the same week that Royal Caribbean announced a new cruise terminal across the harbor on Douglas Island.
