A little over a year after it was created, Sitka’s Tourism Task Force has completed its work, without settling on a “magic number” of annual cruise passengers. Instead, the assembly-appointed group adopted recommendations including reducing “peak days,” engaging with the visitor industry, and establishing a permanent commission to take its place.
Sitka’s cruise ship numbers have nearly tripled since 2019, with some days – such as May 2 – pushing the number of visitors above 9,000. Task force member Jeremy Plank supported reducing those “peak days,” or days with more than one large ship, saying it was a common problem in an otherwise polarizing discussion.
“The one thing that I find resounding through everybody that I’ve talked to is that the peak days were the problem that we had,” Plank said. “And I think that looking forward, if we can stabilize that, and other initiatives that we’re talking about here tonight, I think that that gives Sitka the best chance to move forward.”
The task force recommended reducing peak days and suggested that the city, which manages lightering facilities at Crescent Harbor, support that by limiting the size of ships that use those facilities.
Another recommendation on the table was whether the city should pursue agreements with the cruise industry. Some members said that the city needed more data before entering into those conversations. Task force member Camille Ferguson said she felt torn.
“I don’t know if the word agreement is the right word, or understanding with the industry, some sort of something,” Ferguson said. “We should be communicating with the industry and our community so that we understand each other, that there is an issue and we have to come together to address these issues.”
Task force member Jim Michener said conversations with the industry now could help prevent future problems, like the unexpected visit from the cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam on May 2.
“You know, if there are life-threatening emergencies, of course, you may come into town, etcetera,” Michener said. “But if all of a sudden Ketchikan doesn’t have a dock, that doesn’t mean we need to be willing to accept 50 more ships. I think that’s the value of the MOA and MOU that maybe isn’t being talked about — that we can prescribe those things ahead of time to avoid a further pitfall.”
Ultimately, the task force voted to recommend that the city pursue a nonbinding agreement with the industry. They also voted on four other directives, including establishing a permanent tourism commission, regulating e-bikes and downtown smoking areas, and maintaining regional tourism collaborations.
The task force will present their recommendations to the Assembly at their May 16 meeting. You can read the full list of recommendations here.
