As several cruise ships descend on the ports of Juneau, the crush of visitors coming into the community of 32,000 all at once has created pressures that some residents say are too much – prompting the city to act.
During a municipal election in October, the Alaskan capital city will vote on whether it wants to ban cruise ships with 250 or more passengers from docking there on Saturdays. Regardless of the "Ship-Free Saturdays" initiative's outcome, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) says the U.S. city's debate could elicit positive change for B.C.'s capital.
The ballot measure may inspire the cruise industry to shift its itineraries so that arrivals along Alaska-bound voyages are more staggered – a move that could extend the times tourist-filled ships spend in Victoria, the harbour authority's CEO says.
"My hope is that trying to mitigate some of the concerns in Alaska will actually be beneficial in Victoria in that we might get ships on some of the days where we don't have any ships, and they can stay for longer periods of time," Robert Lewis-Manning said in an interview.
On Friday (July 12), three cruise ships will arrive in sunny Victoria and all of them will dock between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., meaning the local shops downtown that typically close hours earlier could miss out on that business. The smaller city of Juneau is set to have five ships arrive over a seven-hour period on Saturday.
In recent years, global efforts to protect endangered whales and slash the cruise industry's air pollution have resulted in ships slowing down and therefore spending less time in Victoria. The vessels arriving on Friday evening will all be at Ogden Point for about three to four hours.
Cruise liners are currently considering changes to their itineraries as Lewis-Manning said the seven-day Alaskan ventures out of Seattle and Vancouver usually cause multiple ships arriving at ports in close succession. He hopes such scheduling changes could lead to a more spread out arrival pattern in Victoria, which would allow cruise tourists to really enjoy their experience and help local businesses profit.
Cruise schedules are set years before ships set sail as the different operators have to closely coordinate their comings and goings. That's made the industry predictable for businesses and communities that can plan for specific arrivals months in advance.
Lewis-Manning hopes a reworked schedule will give ships several more hours in port and will align with typical working hours so businesses don't have to staff up for late arrivals. He said itinerary changes could also be mutually beneficial because cruise liners want to ensure passengers have a culturally unique experience at each stop.
"We think we've got a different product in Victoria than in Alaska, and that it's complementary, and we just have to help it fit into the itinerary plans of the cruise lines."
Downtown Victoria Business Association CEO Jeff Bray said cruise visitors love Victoria and longer stays would greatly add to the local economy.
“If cruise lines need to increase the time their guests spend in Victoria, or make Victoria a more prominent part of the itinerary, as a result of changes in Alaska, we feel that will create a great guest experience for the passengers,” Bray said. "Extended stays will benefit downtown retail and hospitality, but also spread the economic impact throughout the region with a variety of tour options that could be offered.”
