Alaska cruise numbers to fall in 2010
Ferry Online Travel News 24/08/2009
Cruise traffic to Alaska is expected to drop by 14 percent next year, adding to tourism concerns.
Tourism industry leaders in the state say that overall visitor numbers were down this year due to the recession.
A recent tourism summit held in Anchorage, Alaska, was tasked with determining the causes leading to lower visitor numbers and a plan for dealing with the decline. This was the second summit of its kind in Alaska in under a month, hoping to boost the state’s third-largest employment sector.
New regulations on cruise ships as well as taxes – approved by the state’s citizens two years ago - are being blamed for the cutback in cruises next year.
According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, 140,000 fewer cruise passengers will visit the state in 2010 as a result of capacity reductions by the larger lines, including Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess and Royal Caribbean.
Alaska-centric Cruise West, a smaller line, also cut capacity for both 2009 and 2010, laying up two cruise ships rather than sail on Alaska itineraries next year.
Proponents of the regulations and the taxes argue that the reduction in cruise line capacity is related to the economy and not the recent legislation.
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