While the question of whether to limit cruise visitors next summer won’t go out to voters this time, the owner of Sitka’s private cruise dock is planning to set some limits himself.
On Thursday (11-9-23) Sitka Dock Company owner Chris McGraw announced that he is developing a berthing plan that would cut back on cruise traffic, limiting the size and number of ships allowed to berth each day at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal. The plan will also include daily passenger caps, arrival staggering, and more infrastructure at the dock to help with passenger dispersal.
In the statement, McGraw writes, “The Sitka Dock Company recognizes the importance of responsible cruise tourism management that respects the local environment, infrastructure and the community. This policy will be designed to balance the economic benefits of cruise tourism with the preservation of the authenticity of Sitka as a small coastal town.”
In an interview with KCAW, McGraw said he hoped to strike a balance when landing on a number that works for Sitka.
“If we look at a day where we had 10,000 passengers and it was way too many to handle, then we know, ‘Okay, that’s too much.’ But then if you look at a day where, say, we had 6500, and everybody was able to function fine at 6500, I think you arrive at that number, by kind of looking at at how we did this summer,” he said. “And then knowing that we’re going to be improving things as time goes on and developments are completed.”
McGraw says he has a rough number in mind, but he’s hoping to get more feedback from cruise operators, local authorities and the community in developing the policy. That also means coordinating with cruise ships that don’t dock at the cruise terminal.
” If there’s 2000 people tendering, that has an effect on the town as well. My number is going to have to be worked out with the city, and then looking at tendering to kind of figure out what the town’s number is,” McGraw said. “And then we make sure that we accommodate the ships that are tendering as well, and not to kind of disregard those ships, because that adds to the whole impact as well.”
With 2024’s schedule set and tickets purchased, the ship limits and passenger caps McGraw ultimately lands on would go into effect in 2025. But he says he’s been able to work with some of the cruise companies to stagger arrival times for next year. He says he’s looking forward to input received during the upcoming Tourism Task Force’s town hall meetings.
The city’s Tourism Task Force will be meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall to discuss next steps in addressing cruise tourism growth in Sitka.
