Do you have a travel itch, a love of sailing, and an extra $11 million to spare? If so, Ulyssia Residences has a ship for you.
25.09.2024 - 03:15 / skift.com / Dawit Habtemariam
Thousands of residents in Juneau, Alaska, are voting through next Tuesday on an initiative to ban any cruise ship with a capacity of over 250 passengers from docking in their city on Saturdays and the Fourth of July.
The initiative, called “Ship-Free Saturday,” aims to “reclaim” Saturdays for Juneau residents who feel they have been pushed out of their city by overtourism, said Karla Hart, one of the residents who gathered enough signatures — 2,359 — on a petition to place the proposal on the ballot.
Residents received mail-in ballots on September 12 and have until October 1 to vote. The initiative requires a majority to pass.
Juneau is a major stop for the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival — along with Disney, Viking, and other companies — all offer itineraries that include Juneau.
Cruise travel has grown faster than air travel to Alaska in recent years. Cruises account for 65% of Alaska’s summer visitors, said Jillian Simpson, CEO of Alaska Travel.
Juneau, a city of 32,000 people, received a record 1.65 million visitors last year, up from 1.31 million in 2019, according to the city government. On some days 20,000 cruise passengers descend on the city.
In 2023, cruise visitors generated $30 million in direct spending and $3.7 million in revenue for the municipal government on Saturdays, according to the city’s FAQ on the ballot initiative. The cruise season runs from April to October.
Given the potential impact on business, there is also a movement to block the initiative.
Royal Caribbean Group and other businesses have threatened to sue the city if theinitiative passes. Two of the docks are owned by the city, and two are privately owned.
“It’s a no-brainer bad idea, a selfish proposal by folks who want to live in a world that doesn’t exist anymore or in some romanticized version of the past that never really was,” said McHugh Pierre, chairman of Protect Juneau’s Future, a coalition of cruise, tour operators and local businesses, which has raised over $350,000 to oppose the measure.
“The best-case scenario is if this passes, the city says, ‘We choose not to accept cruise ships at our docks.’ But the private companies can’t be told not to accept ships at their private docks. It’s not constitutional,” said Pierre.
After disembarking, cruise passengers typically explore the downtown, take bus or helicopter tours, enjoy whale watching, hike local trails, or visit attractions like Mendenhall Glacier, Nugget Falls, and the Goldbelt Tram.
Juneau Alaska’s Capital City, we headed to the Goldbelt Tram. #juneaualaska #goldbelttram #alaska #carnivalspirit #choosefun #cruisingalaska #alaska2023 #cruisealaska #alaskacruise #cruiselife #traveltips #blogaboutitall
Locals
Do you have a travel itch, a love of sailing, and an extra $11 million to spare? If so, Ulyssia Residences has a ship for you.
Southwest Airlines is extending its flight schedule into early next summer and introducing new destinations from its Nashville hub. The airline, which usually releases its schedule eight months in advance, has just released its booking calendar through June 4, 2025, announced Wednesday. With the schedule update, the carrier has announced several key updates across its network. For starters, the carrier will expand significantly out of Nashville International Airport (BNA), which has been one of Southwest's fastest-growing hubs and newest crew bases. Starting April 8, 2025, the carrier will begin daily service from Nashville to Albuquerque, Jackson, and Tulsa; as well as up to 6x weekly flights to Providence and up to 5x weekly flights to Albany. In addition, the airline will offer “intra-Tennessee service for the first time” with its brand-new, once-daily service from Nashville to Memphis. “The new flights will boost Southwest’s scheduled presence in Nashville to an all-time high of 174 Sunday departures in April and May 2025,” the airline wrote in a statement. The new route announcement comes as the airline is undergoing notable changes, as Southwest will introduce its first-ever overnight flights to its network next February. With today’s announcement, the airline shared a few more routes that will see redeye service — flights from Honolulu to Las Vegas and Phoenix, Kona to Las Vegas, and Maui to Las Vegas and Phoenix will be offered as red-eyes starting April 8, 2025.
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