Juneau Conflicted By Hordes Of Cruise Tourists

 Small Coastal City Sees Massive Activity Every Summer From Hundreds Of Thousands Aboard Ships  

Cruise tourism is an issue in many scenic coastal towns. (Google) 

This is Not 'Independent Travel" Or "Road Travel" 

More than 4,000 passengers and crew disgorge in Juneau on a single day from a single cruise ship. Over 1.5 million cruise passengers arrive in Juneau every summer. Up to five cruise ships dock along the scenic historic district of town at ny one time, from April to October...

There are around 32,000 people living in Juneau. People who live there are divided in their support of the situation, which has caused interest from as far away as England, where the Guardian Newspaper recently wrote a story about Juneau tourism, pointing out that over the year, cruise passengers outnumber locals 50 to 1. 

Up to 16,000 passengers come off the ships every day from Sunday to Friday. Up to 12,000 are allowed on Saturday. A ballot initiative to ban cruise ships on Saturdays and the 4th of July just failed – 60 to 40. 

Juneau travel is quite different from travel to the Copper Valley, which is mostly "independent travel" – with visitors renting cars, or coming north or south from 

their homes in Anchorage and Fairbanks for a family holiday in Valdez, Lake Louise, or Chitina. Independent travelers are far more likely to spend money at small family-based local businesses, shops, gas stations, restaurants, activity venues and lodging and travel as individuals, couples and small groups of friends and family, and not en masse.