:: Tourism industry likely poised for a dismal 2009
KTUU-TV
This is the time of year when tourists plan their trips to Alaska and make their bookings - so where are they?
Alaska travel officials say some businesses are reporting a 30 percent decline compared to last year at this time - and in 2008 Alaska tourism had a flat performance.
Which means 2009 is looking dismal so far. The momentum to fill the cruise ships...
Visitor leaders expect the 2009 season to be off by as much as 35 percent. More remote locations like Nome and expensive tours may be the hardest hit
:: Anchorage Chamber adds voice to permit discussion
The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce has joined a growing number of organizations and municipalities across the state asking legislators and the governor to enable the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to determine the parameters for the cruise ship wastewater discharge permit.
"Standards for cruise ship wastewater discharge permits should be based on best available data and science," stated the resolution passed by the chamber.
The chamber resolution comes in response to the Large...
:: ACA updates associate members
Alaska Cruise Association (ACA) President John Binkley updated the group's associate members last month, outlining legislative efforts to modify the requirements of the wastewater discharge permit and the outlook for the upcoming visitor season.
Binkley said he had no crystal ball but his member lines tell him they are experiencing the worst sales in history. "It may be...
:: Cruise lines maintain spill response equipment in Southeast
The waters of Southeast Alaska are safer for all marine traffic, thanks to a significant contribution in oil spill response equipment purchased by the member lines of the Alaska Cruise Association (ACA).
The program, first begun in 1999, consists of the cruise lines purchasing four sets of oil spill response barges, which are positioned in Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay and Yakutat. The cost of the barges was $1.2 million, paid for by the member lines. A fifth set was later...
SEAPRO, which is headquartered in Ketchikan, maintains the cruise industry's fleet of oil spill response vessels and equipment
Princess innovated the process of plugging into shore power in Juneau in 2001.
:: Princess to plug into shore power in Vancouver
Expanding its commitment to reduce air emissions, Princess Cruises has announced it will turn off its ships' engines and instead use clean hydroelectric power supplied from ashore when calling at the Port of Vancouver during the upcoming 2009 summer cruise season.
The innovative technology is being made possible through a...
:: EPA reviews cruise ship discharges in Alaska
A final national report on cruise ship discharges will help EPA determine whether the existing State of Alaska discharge standards for sewage and graywater from cruise ships operating in Alaskan waters are adequate.
The Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report reviewed five waste streams from cruise ships: sewage, graywater, oily bilge water, solid waste and hazardous waste. For each waste stream, the report discusses the nature and volume of the waste stream generated, existing federal regulations applicable to the waste...
:: Travel Channel features Alaska as a 'Great Cruise'
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) sets sail in the Travel Channel's one-hour special entitled Great Cruises: Norwegian Pearl, hosted by Brook Lee, Miss Universe 1998. The show, filmed in high-definition during a seven-day Alaska cruise aboard Norwegian Pearl, will air...