Alaska Tourism Officials Hoping for Strong Cruise Season

Alaska welcomed the first large cruise ship of a season that tourism officials expect will be more robust after two years of pandemic-related travel disruptions.

According to The Associated Press, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss arrived in Juneau on Monday, as Cruise Lines International Association Alaska spokesperson Lanie Downs said the group is looking for a “full season again, with hundreds of planned voyages.”

Juneau tourism manager Alexandra Pierce revealed the ships scheduled to arrive in the area would not be at capacity—at least not during the early portion of the season—but the destination could reach a total of one million visitors by the end of the year.

Pierce also said the city must have a “larger and needed conversation” regarding capacity issues and “what we look like as a tourism community into the future.”

“That said, I’m really kind of relieved for so many of the small businesses that rely on tourism,” Pierce continued. “I think it will be nice to see people downtown again. It’s been very weirdly quiet the last couple years working down there.”

In 2019 before coronavirus-related travel restrictions shut down the cruise industry, 1.3 million passengers arrived in Alaska, while only 116,000 cruise ship travelers in the state last year.

The Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) recently relaunched its consumer-facing website with an increased emphasis on Native tourism opportunities. Such opportunities include travel products from Native-run companies that are actively involved in tourism and integrate Native culture into their guest experience.