The City of Juneau in Alaska is preparing for a significant potential jump in the number of visitors arriving on cruise ships, the Juneau Independent reported.

With a new private dock set to open soon, the town may need to regulate growth beyond a voluntary five-ship-a-day agreement that is currently in place.

As a new two-berth cruise port opens on Goldbelt Incorporated land, the city will be able to welcome up to seven ships.

While some officials expect the current limits to be maintained after the introduction of the new infrastructure, others call for an evaluation of the impact of a potential increase in the number of ships arriving.

“Even with current visitation limits in place through 2027, additional berths signal future growth,” Jill Lawhorne, community development director for the City and Borough of Juneau, was quoted as saying.

“Infrastructure capacity must be evaluated to match potential increases in visitors,” she added.

Currently under construction, the Goldbelt Aaní Cruise Port is expected to open ahead of the 2028 summer season.

Being built in partnership with the Royal Caribbean Group, the dock is said to have been designed to strengthen Juneau’s infrastructure while improving traffic congestion and enhancing the experience for both locals and visitors.

The Juneau Independent noted that city leaders previously said that there was a “strong probability the five-ship limit would apply to the new dock — meaning a dispersal of existing total passengers rather than an increase in them.”

In a town assembly, CBJ Tourism Director Alexandra Pierce was reported as saying that “the Assembly’s current direction to staff, which is supported by several years of community survey data, is to maintain visitor volume at a steady level.”

However, she noted that seven cruise berths will “substantially increase the community’s visitor capacity,” and city leaders should be thinking ahead accordingly.

“To responsibly consider this level of potential growth, CBJ must evaluate both the offsite impacts and the capacity of Juneau’s infrastructure to accommodate increased visitation,” Pierce added.

She also recommended the development of a ten-year tourism goal plan for Juneau, which would include data-supported parameters for sustainable growth.

According to the Juneau Independent, the strategy would represent a change from current policy that sought to reduce the adverse impacts of current tourism levels on local residents.