Sitka may be the latest city pushing to limit cruise traffic as a group in the Alaskan town is aiming to cap the number of cruise passengers in 2024.
The group is aiming to hold a special election this winter with the goal to limit the number of cruise guests coming to Sitka.
“It’s just absolute chaos. I feel that the cruise industry thinks it’s the planning director of the city and that we have to march to its orders,” said Sitkan Larry Edwards, who is behind the ballot initiative before.
According to Alaska Public Media, Sitka saw about 560,000 cruise guests this summer, more than double any previous record.
“There have been a number of surveys done that have shown that about two-thirds of people in town think it’s way over the top, and has been for quite a while. It’s been controversial since the 1990s,” Edwards was quoted as saying. “And nobody’s really ever asked…the people of the city of Sitka what they want, and asked them to vote on some number. This is the first, and someone had to stick their neck out to do it.”