Alaska increases cruise tourism limits as residents argue peace of mind versus economy

Alaska will consider a new policy to limit the number of visitors to its capital, Juneau, amid concerns about the impact of overtourism, expanding on measures introduced last year. 

“It’s about preserving the lifestyle that keeps us in Juneau, which is about clean air, clean water, pristine environment and easy access to trails, easy access to water sports and nature,” Deborah Craig, a resident of Juneau for decades, told The Associated Press. 

“There’s this perception that some people are not welcoming of tourists, and that’s not the case at all,” Craig said. “It’s about volume. It’s about too much — too many in a short period of time overwhelming a small community.”

Juneau last year limited visitation to just five cruise ships per day, and last month Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian have agreed to limit the number of passengers visiting the shore per day as well: 16,000 per day Sundays through Fridays and 12,000 on Saturdays starting in 2026, according to the Alaska Beacon. 

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The city assembly will also consider a municipal vote in October that could potentially outright ban cruise ships on Saturday. An effort from the nearby city of Sitka tried to put the passenger limits on the ballot, too, but as the measure is currently voluntary, the assembly rejected the motion.

Cruise season runs from early April to late October, and the capital continues to prove a highly popular destination with several glaciers nearby, including the Mendenhall Glacier. Residents in recent years have raised concerns about the increased traffic, congested trails and noise pollution from both cruise ships and helicopter tours. 

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“I know what Juneau used to be, and I know what it could be, and it isn’t now, and so I’m fighting to bring some of that back,” Karla Hart, one of the organizers pushing for a full ban on Saturdays, told the Beacon, saying that the impacts of even decreased tourism will prove overwhelming. 

“Ship-free Saturdays is a way to just give everybody in Juneau one day a week without the blanket of impacts on our lives,” she explained. “I believe that if we all have that one day a week without all of the chaos that comes with the cruise industry, that we’ll all be happier and healthier.”

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Pedestrians walk past closed seasonal stores on South Franklin Street in Juneau, Alaska, during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. (Meg Roussos/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Business owners in the city oppose such limits, though, due to the heavy reliance on tourism to sustain them. Laura McDonnell, owner of the Caribou Crossings gift shop in downtown Juneau, stressed that businesses have a place in the community. 

“I think that as a community, we really need to look at what’s at stake for our economy,” McDonnell told The Associated Press. “We are not in a position to be shrinking our economy.” 

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The cruise industry produces around $375 million in direct investment into Juneau, mostly through passenger spending. Tourism dipped during the coronavirus pandemic, but has spiked in the past 18 months as travel resumed normal levels, with a record 1.6 million cruise passengers visiting Juneau in 2023.