TravelAwaits
May.27.2021
In May, President Joe Biden signed a new bill into law to allow cruise ships to sail from the Lower 48 directly to Alaska this year, ending more than a year of economic drought to the ports that relied so heavily on cruise traffic.
H.R. 1318, the “Alaska Tourism Restoration Act,” allows cruise ships to sail from Washington to Alaska without having to stop in Canada, which is still currently closed to American tourists. For Alaskan towns on the cruise ship circuit, where one in every 10 jobs is in tourism, the news brings hope for economic recovery.
However, tourists jumping on board to cruise to Alaska this year may see a different Alaska than what they have been used to or expected as cities gear up to handle an influx of visitors.