Canada extends ban on cruise ships; Alaska tourism will take a hit

Canada extends ban on cruise ships; Alaska tourism will take a hit

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(CNN) – People who were hoping to sail through the northern waters of North America this summer will have to put their travel dreams in dry dock for now.
Due to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic, Canada has extended its ban on cruise ships until February 2022. It affects popular voyages in Canada, including the St. Lawrence River and maritime provinces on the Atlantic side to British Columbia along the Pacific coast.

But the extension of the ban is going to hit Alaska and even Seattle, Washington, hard through a combination of geographic proximity and U.S. maritime rules.

What Canada is doing – and why

Large shipping cruises to the romantic Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River will have to wait for now.

Large shipping cruises to the romantic Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River will have to wait for now.

Shutterstock

Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Thursday announced the interim orders banning pleasure craft in his Arctic waters and vessels in all Canadian waters until February 28, 2022.

The government said ‘passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people’ were still being banned from entering Arctic coastal waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Labrador coast. … Pleasure vessels used by local North Pole residents will not be affected by these measures. ‘

But the bigger impact on vacation will be for people who enjoy the great cruise ship experience. Cruise ships carrying more than 100 passengers will still be banned from sailing in Canadian waters.

It is noteworthy that there is no ban on “smaller cruise ships certified to carry 100 or fewer people.”

“While Canadians are making their contribution to reducing the spread of Covid-19, our government continues to work hard to ensure Canada’s transportation system remains safe,” Alghabra said in a government statement. “Temporary ban on vessels and pleasure craft is essential to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.”

If the pandemic situation “sufficiently improves”, Alghabra could revoke orders earlier than February 2022.

How it affects American tourism

Due to geographic proximity, Alaska and Seattle are inextricably linked to their international neighbor. Routes with ports such as Seattle, Victoria (Canada), Sitka, Juneau and Glacier Bay have been very popular for decades.

But it is not just geography that will harm the American cruise industry. It is also the way maritime law works that bans America.

The Passenger Vessel Services Act only allows vessels flying an American flag to carry passengers directly from one U.S. port to another. All others must stop at a foreign port.

For example, Carnival has registered most of its ships in Panama. And while Holland America’s headquarters are in Seattle, the ships carry the flag of the Netherlands.

So, unless registered in the US, a cruise ship departing from Seattle for a trip to Alaska and back must first go to a Canadian port. Except for now, it can not.

The reaction

Fantastic Glacier Bay, Alaska, will be out of reach for many tourists unless Canada can revoke an extension of its ban on cruise ships.

Fantastic Glacier Bay, Alaska, will be out of reach for many tourists unless Canada can revoke an extension of its ban on cruise ships.

Shutterstock

The news is a blow to Alaska tourism, which is still strong from 2020 onwards.

“No matter who you talk to, it was a beautiful morning,” Julie Saupe, president and CEO of Visit Anchorage, told the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska’s largest newspaper.

“The expansion of the ‘no-sail’ order in Canadian waters is likely to have major, negative consequences for the visit to Alaska in the coming summer,” Saupe said in a written statement. She said cruises make up about 40 to 50% of overnight visits to Alaska’s largest city in the summer.

The Canadian announcement has a direct impact on Seattle's tourist economy.

The Canadian announcement has a direct impact on Seattle’s tourist economy.

CNN

And CNN subsidiary KIRO reported that the effects are being felt in Washington’s largest city.

“Each vessel carried home is bringing in more than $ 4 million in the regional economy, $ 14.5 million in taxes across the country, and generating nearly $ 1 billion in business activity throughout the season,” said Peter McGraw, spokesman for the region. Port of Seattle, said in a statement.

“We also hear from port cities in Alaska that the loss of another year’s revenue could be cataclysmic. We urge our federal leaders to consider relief for all communities affected by the decline in travel and tourism.”

Looking forward to 2022

Meanwhile, cruise lines look optimistic for 2022, even though 2021 appears to be a bust.

Holland America, for example, is offering a seven-day cruise to Seattle-Alaska with a stopover in Victoria, Canada, in June 2022.
And Princess has a May 2022 route that leaves Seattle for Alaska – again with the required Canadian stop – starting at $ 719.

Top photo: Pedestrians walk through an empty harbor on the cruise ship in Juneau, Alaska. Photo credit: Meg Roussos / Bloomberg / Getty Images

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