In a referendum tentatively scheduled for May 30, Sitka residents will decide whether to limit cruise traffic to the Alaska port city to 4,500 cruisers a day and 300,000 per year. Also, port calls would be limited to six days per week.
The limits would go into effect in 2026 if approved. Sitka's assembly is scheduled to discuss the ballot measure on March 18 at a special meeting.
Sitka's municipal clerk certified a petition for referendum from a local advocacy group, Small Town Soul. This was the fourth petition from the group after the previous ones failed to survive the city's review process.
According to the group, Sitka's cruise traffic reached a high of 289,753 cruisers before the pandemic. In 2022, the number climbed to 383,000 and in 2023 to 585,000, said Small Town Soul.
An increase in cruise traffic in Alaska led Juneau to strike a deal with cruise lines to limit traffic to 16,000 passengers daily and 12,000 passengers on Saturdays. When asked via referendum to lower the caps further, banning all ships carrying at least 250 passengers from calling on Saturdays and on July 4, voters rejected the ballot measure.