Sitka wants to slash cruise ship volume

[smokeybandit]

https://www.cruisehive.com/another-port-may-begin-limiting-cruise-ship-visits/111188

[Doug_Texas]

As a cruiser this is sad to see.  If you lived there and experienced this kind of volume explosion you likely would feel the same way.  In July our ship stopped in Santorini.  Experiencing the human congestion in Oia as the 6 cruise ships arrived that day I can’t imagine the frustration if you lived in the town.  But if you owned a store, bar, or restaurant you now depend on the traffic.

[smokeybandit]

Just the same, I wonder how many of those business that exist solely due to the cruise industry go away? Sitka is a fishing town, but a lot of those bars and restaurants aren't geared towards fishermen.

[steverk]

Didn't Sitka just build a dock recently? Seems like bad planning if they did.

[Rackham]

1 hour ago, steverk said:

Didn't Sitka just build a dock recently? Seems like bad planning if they did.

There was a new terminal constructed outside of town. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sitka-dock-kicks-off-2022-cruise-season-with-new-terminal-welcomes-two-ships-to-port-301546424.html

It's my understanding that there's been two primary camps competing in Sitka for years. Those who profit from the cruise industry and those who would prefer the industry to leave. The second group feels that the town is turning from a place for those who live there to something akin to Disneyland. This ballot initiative is just another piece of the long running conflict between these two groups.

[Jill]

Ha try living in Florida! The tourists never go away! I love it though because we pay no state income tax because of it. Got to take the good with the bad! 

[cruisellama]

Same kind of thing happened in Key West where they limited the size and number of ships that could visit.

[JasonOasis]

On 9/23/2023 at 10:28 AM, smokeybandit said:

Just the same, I wonder how many of those business that exist solely due to the cruise industry go away? Sitka is a fishing town, but a lot of those bars and restaurants aren't geared towards fishermen.

You are absolutely right there are business where their entire bottom line totally depends on a successful cruise season. I think their voices are being drowned out by people who just see cruising as a waste of time and resources.  Or by those who simply want less mass market cruise ships in their ports and more ultra exclusive luxury cruise ships in their ports.

[Xaa]

This is how people are.  We all want to live in a small quiet place.  The last house we think should be built is the one for us to move in.  The last business allowed, the small business we start.  Anything beyond that is too much and ruining the fabric.  This is really everyplace.  People are very strange and forgetful that it required acceptance for them to come initially.

[Fuzzywuzzy]

Be careful what you wish for folks.

[smokeybandit]

Doing a little googling, Sitka is in a tough spot. They're projecting a population decline and its workforce is comprised of 40% of people that don't live in the area.

[smokeybandit]

Or not

 

 

[JasonOasis]

Great news for those business owners who would have seen a significant drop in business had this gone through.

[Fuzzywuzzy]

Sounds like a win for everyone involved, including those who still don't get it.

[smokeybandit]

The great thing for Sitka is cruise ships are an 8-5 type deal. Ships are gone for the local's dinner time.