Making nice:
Princess Cruises’
Diamond Princess
in Alaskan waters
Last February, in an
effort to improve relations with Alaska, eight cruise lines joined
forces to work with the state’s political and business leaders. The
creation of the Alaska Cruise Association was prompted by an
initiative, upheld last August, in which Alaskans voted to impose
new taxes and environmental regulations on the major cruise lines
that sail to the state, including a $50-a-head tax on every
passenger.
Heading the group is former state
senator John Binkley. Among the ACA’s tasks, he said, is to promote
the cruise lines’ charitable efforts and forge new business
partnerships. “A lot of communities that don’t physically have
ships coming to port still enjoy a positive economic impact” from
sailings, Bink-ley noted. “We are looking for opportunities to
include more businesses and communities in the economics of this
billion-dollar industry.”
The eight ACA members are Carnival
Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America
Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas
Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
Better relations with the cruise lines
can only help the meetings industry, said Deb Hickok, president and
CEO of the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau. “By increasing
the channels of communication with the major cruise lines, we
expect even more business travelers in our neck of the woods,” she
said.
However, not everyone is convinced that
the ACA can accomplish much. “If [the cruise lines] want to try to
improve relations with Alaskans, that’s great,” said Karen Jettmar,
director of Equinox Wilderness Expeditions, based in Anchorage.
“But I’m a little suspicious that this is just a PR effort with no
teeth.”