It\u2019s a good thing Juneau updated its cruise docks this year, because they\u2019ll be busier than ever this summer.<\/p>\n
John Binkley, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Alaska President, said Thursday that a record number of cruise passengers are expected in Juneau this summer. In speaking to a packed house at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Binkley shared that CLIA estimates that 1,055,000 people will come to Juneau via cruise ship this summer.<\/p>\n
By CLIA\u2019s estimation, cruise passengers this summer will spend $183 million in Juneau from May 1-Sept. 30, an average of $1,233,000 every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the next time you\u2019re waiting behind a tour bus and you see a lot of congestion,\u201d Binkley said as a chuckle began to rise at the luncheon, \u201cjust think that, \u2018Today, there was a million and a quarter dollars spent, outside money that\u2019s coming into Juneau, into our economy here by those visitors,\u2019 and maybe that\u2019ll make you feel a little bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n
All over the world, cruise ship tourism is growing rapidly. Binkley said that CLIA\u2019s 30 or so cruise lines have seen about a 7 percent increase every year in the past decade. In 2017, more than 25 million people worldwide are expected to take a cruise. Therefore, around 4 percent of CLIA\u2019s patrons are expected to come through Juneau.<\/p>\n
The growth is expected to continue, particularly for Alaska. In 2018, Windstar Cruises is scheduled to begin taking passengers through the state. In 2019, a trio of major cruise companies \u2014 Azamara, Cunard and Viking \u2014 are also expected to join the fray. Not only are boats becoming more numerous, but they\u2019re also getting bigger. Average passenger space is expected to increased by 15 percent from 2015-2018.<\/p>\n
The first cruise ship of the 2017 season is expected this coming Monday, May 1, and Binkley could hardly contain his excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great time in spring, a great greening, really,\u201d Binkley said. \u201cNot only our communities as the leaves come out, the grass comes out, but as the green comes into our cash registers as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
How that green is used, however, remains a point of contention between the City and Borough of Juneau and CLIA.<\/p>\n
All quiet on litigation front<\/p>\n