One of the arguments against taking some action to reform the large cruise ship industry is that doing so will ruin jobs and the economy in Juneau.
But this implies that nothing has been ruined or there are no costs, for the way the industry does business now.
There are direct as well as indirect costs to Juneau for this type of industrial tourism. Direct costs may be called the cost of doing business, the indirect costs are harder to identify.
The loss of downtown Juneau for over 14 weeks and with that, the loss of one of the town’s centers.
The loss of the ease of getting around town, the crowded harbors, waterways and sidewalks. How do we calculate these costs?
I wonder how much is enough for the business community? What is the cap of cruise ship passengers? 1.6 million is predicted by 2023. Can the residents not associated with the cruise ship industry tolerate that number? Businesses what is your cap?
I personally want no more than a million per season. Can we live with a million cruise ship passengers?
Let’s put a cap on it!
Thank you.
Pat White,
Juneau
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