The city of Juneau and cruise lines have reached an accord over limiting cruise ship passenger numbers.
Juneau tourism officials inked an agreement with cruise operators which will place a limit on the number of cruise ship passengers allowed daily.
The number of ship passengers will be capped at 16,000 daily except Saturday which is limited to 12,000 a day.
The new limit comes into force in 2026.
Last year, a limit of five cruise ships visiting Juneau per day was agreed voluntarily with cruise lines.
While lucrative for Juneau businesses, there has been growing frustration by Juneau residents with ships deployed in Alaska increasing in size.
Over the past few years there have been surveys and environmental impact studies, and a Visitor Industry Task Force was set in 2019 to discuss the issues.
“We’ve measured our busiest days, which were around 21,000 people, and how we measure our seasonal numbers,” said Alexandra Pierce, Juneau Visitor Industry Director.
The cruise passenger cap was agreed with cruise operators including Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian cruise Line.
Pierce said residents are also feeling the ‘impact of certain types of activities’ like helicopter noise during aerial tours.
“Our busiest days have felt a bit suffocating for a lot of people, and we’re trying to eliminate that.”
