Promoting responsible management of tourism to restore our quality of life in Sitka, Alaska.
What is meant by “responsible management?”
Small Town SOUL recognizes tourism as a valued component of our multifaceted community.
Responsible management of tourism includes welcoming visitors that support economic opportunity while maintaining Sitka’s rural small town character & way of life.
We seek to:
(1) improve safety, reduce nuisances, and protect the health and wellbeing of Sitka residents by reducing cruise-related overcrowding of people and vehicles on Sitka’s highways, streets, sidewalks, trails, waterways, and public places;
(2) protect Sitka’s integrity as a high-quality destination for international, national and Alaskan visitors of all kinds.
“H. Big picture strategies. … 4. How many. What objective for the magnitude of tourism in Sitka? … Sitka wants a strong, healthy tourism sector, but not at the expense of the quality of the community as a place to live or visit. The community wants managed tourism growth. …
‘Managed growth’ means Sitka should ensure that any future growth maintains the quality of residents’ and visitors’ experience of Sitka, …”
-City of Sitka | Visitor Industry Plan 2.0
Pages 17 & 18
We propose limiting cruise visitation by establishing a defined season length, daily & annual limits and adoption of a “quiet day” each week.
Sitka – a community & high quality place to visit
Photo credit: Caitlin Blaisdell
Sitka has 8,382 residents (census estimate 2022) and only 7 square miles of area with road, streets, and trails.
We support cruise ship tourism at levels that balance the needs of residents and locally owned and operated businesses.
Historically, the most cruise visitors Sitka hosted prior to 2022 was 289,753 visitors in 2008.
In 2022 Sitka received one-third more than that - 383,000 visitors, and in 2023 we were inundated with twice as much - 585,000 visitors.
Photo credit: Daily Sitka Sentinel
These numbers are too high.
Too many cruise visitors impact our lives & damage our reputation as a high quality place to visit.
Community Concerns
Our health / safety / accessibility is compromised
High bus traffic has notably increased noise and air pollution on highways and streets
Fast access to emergency care is impaired by road congestion from crowds of cruise passengers and buses
Residents have suffered medication shortages due to unexpected demand by cruise visitors
Risk of contagion is increased due to dense crowds of visitors, from crowded ships
Increased risk of accidents between ebikes, vehicles, and pedestrians on roads, trails, and sidewalks
Economy - Moderate visitor numbers benefit our economy, but high numbers harm it
Excessive visitation clogs internet and cellphone bandwidth, harming businesses & residents
Road congestion delays lead to increased business/personal costs
Cruise passenger head taxes can only be used for projects that directly serve cruise vessels
Overcrowding degrades the experience for independent travelers and cruise passengers alike
36% of seasonal workers are non-residents, creating competition for limited housing Learn more
A healthy local economy is created through year-round focus, not just on seasonal income.
Higher visitor numbers do not proportionally translate to higher sales tax collection
Cruise Desert
Downtown Juneau March 2024
“Tourism should be allowed and encouraged to grow as long as Sitka remains a great place to live and visit.”
Loss of Local Identity & Quality of Life
Lincoln Street closures disrupt small town life
Downtown is a crowded zone instead of an industrious working-town center
Our streets, trails, and waterways are overcrowded
Changes the character of our town and our sense of community and identity
We don’t want to become like Ketchikan, Juneau, or Skagway
Subsistence rights to hunt and fish are in jeopardy
Subsistence is a part of our culture and lifestyle
Subsistence is how many families in Sitka make ends meet
Subsistence rights require status of a rural community
Rural status endangered by growing infrastructure and high density of people
Impacts to the Environment
Cruise ships cause significant damage to our planet’s climate Learn more
Environmental health is of great value to Sitkans
The Ocean Ranger Program, monitoring cruise lines pollution, has been dismantled.
strong record of environmental violations by cruise lines, with high fines
ongoing monitoring is necessary to prevent illegal discharges
Letters to the Editor & Testimonials
Solutions / The Way Forward
We seek to:
(1) improve safety, reduce nuisances, and protect the health and wellbeing of Sitka residents by reducing cruise-related overcrowding of people and vehicles on Sitka’s highways, streets, sidewalks, trails, waterways, and public places; - that is, restore our quality of life in Sitka.
(2) protect Sitka’s integrity as a high-quality destination for international, national and Alaskan visitors of all kinds.
Small Town SOUL recognizes tourism as a valued component of our multifaceted community. Responsible management of tourism includes visitors that support economic opportunity while maintaining Sitka’s rural small town character & way of life.
“Review the impacts and benefits of tourism, and develop policies that prioritize the quality of life for all Sitkans.”
Like Sitka, many other areas of the world are confronting similar issues with the cruise ship industry. Citizens of Bar Harbor (ME), Key West (FL), Santa Barbara (CA), Monterey (CA), Venice (Italy), Barcelona (Spain) Amsterdam (Netherlands), and others are quickly developing resistance campaigns to confront over-tourism caused by cruise ships. Cruise Industry in the News.
The Tourism Irridex Model (irritation with over-tourism) was developed in the 1970s. Sitka has reached the point of annoyance or antagonism for many residents, while some are still in a state of euphoria.
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Richard Butler, formerly a professor at the University of Western Ontario, coined the phrase in 1980, and scholars have since applied it to tourist-dependent regions from Tunisia to the United Kingdom to Hawai‘i. According to Butler’s model, a place is first “discovered,” then developed. Locals begin to lose control over decision-making, and laborers from elsewhere come to fill new jobs. The number of visitors climbs. At this stage, tourism becomes the dominant economic driver, and the environmental, social, and economic fabric of the original community changes, often to the detriment of locals’ quality of life.”
-Krista Langlois | Hakai Magazine | 28 May 2024
We need to lower cruise passenger numbers in Sitka.
Sitka, because it has a Home Rule charter, can constitutionally limit the number of cruise tourists–as Bar Harbor, Maine has now shown through a court decision. Link to Decision
We are taking action
to put a proposition on the ballot by citizen initiative that addresses season length as well as daily and annual limits.