The battle is over in the Alaska
legislature regarding an amendment to the cruise ship tax
initiative that the state's citizens passed into law last summer.
The Alaska Senate
passed a bill that will modify the component of the law that
requires the cruise lines to disclose the commission or mark-up on
operators' shore excursions.
The amended bill
gives the cruise lines the choice to either disclose mark-ups on
shore excursions or disclose, "that the tours featured onboard a
cruise ship pay for that advertisement."
It also obliges
the lines to post a statement "reminding passengers that they are
free to book alternative tours on their own," with information to
help them do so, the bill says.
The authors of
the law, which passed as a citizen initiative last summer, were
pleased with the results.
The modified
disclosure requirement "remains true to the intent of the
initiative," said Gershon Cohen, co-author of the ballot and member
of a group that sponsored it, Campaign to Safeguard America's
Waters.
"It requires the
cruise lines to admit to the passengers that they take a large
commission from the tour operators," said Cohen. "And it has strengthened requirements for a similar
disclosure with the gift stores."
To contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].