Another cruise destination, Haines, Alaska, has turned to cruise guests for an influx of revenue to build, repair, and improve port facilities. In this latest case, the town voted to charge each cruise passenger a $9 revenue fee upon arrival.
The Haines Borough Assembly voted on September 24, 2024 to enact the fee, effective on October 2, 2024. Since the Alaska cruise season has officially ended, the fee will be charged to guests starting with the 2025 season.
The $9 fee applies to guests onboard ships that dock at Haines as well as ships that anchor in the harbor and tender guests ashore. The cruise line is responsible for collecting and remitting the fees to the local government upon arrival in port.
“These fees aim to offset costs incurred by the Haines Borough in acquiring, operating, leasing, constructing, repairing, improving, and equipping its port facilities,” the Assembly’s meeting agenda states.
More generally, the fees will also be used to mitigate “the burden and impacts” that cruise ships and their guests have on the town’s services and infrastructure.
The fees that Haines will receive from cruise guests are slated to increase over time. A suggestion from town tourism director Rebecca Hylton, and adopted by the Assembly, provides for a hike to $12 per person in 2027 and to $13 per person in 2029.
“This approach not only ensures that we remain competitive and fair to both our guests and residents, but also provides cruise lines with the necessary information to set their pricing for the coming years,” Rebecca Hylton, Haines tourism director, said in a statement to the Assembly.
“By securing predictable revenue through these adjustments, we can ensure the long-term sustainability and enhancement of our port facilities, while aligning more closely with the fees charged by other Southeast Alaska ports,” added Hylton.
Haines, a popular port about 100 miles north of Juneau, the state capital, is situated on the Chilkoot Inlet, in Alaska’s Inside Passage. Guests on ships calling at Haines often visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and take excursions to the Chilkoot River, known for bear sightings thanks to its active salmon run.
While 2024 statistics are not yet available, the port welcomed 97 cruise ship calls in 2023, representing about 68,000 cruise guests. It was a decline from the totals in 2022, when 78,000 guests arrived, but still higher than the pre-pandemic arrivals number of 54,000.
Carnival Cruise Ship in Haines, Alaska (Photo Credit: Ken Schulze)
Cruise ships from virtually every major line called at the port in 2024, including such notable ships as Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun in June.
Read Also: Your Guide to the Best Alaska Cruise Ports
Several luxury ships also called, such as Seabourn’s Seabourn Odyssey, Silversea Cruises’ Silver Muse, and Ponant’s Le Soleal, during the course of the season.
Destinations Jump On Cruise Arrival Fee Bandwagon
Haines is not alone among Alaska ports looking to earn extra revenue from cruise arrivals. Juneau collects an $8 per cruise passenger fee, and recently took steps to lessen the impact of cruise ship arrivals in the city.
Earlier this year, it reached an agreement with the Cruise Lines International Association to set daily debarkation limits of 16,000 guests and a lower limit of 12,000 on Saturdays.
Besides Alaska, several popular cruise destinations around the world have enacted cruise arrival fees as the industry has grown.
In Greece, for example, cruise arrivals to Santorini and Mykonos starting in 2025 will pay a €20 (approximately $22) fee. The revenue will be used to mitigate the effects of cruise passengers on the local infrastructure.
Amsterdam, in 2024, raised its cruise guest fee to €11 (about $12 USD). The city had been charging €8. Amsterdam also hiked its tourist tax on hotel stays, which impacts cruisers who visit the destination for pre- or post-cruise stays. The fee is currently 12.5%.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
