Dear Editor: The tourist industry in Sitka is thriving, and it will continue to do so if Proposition 1 passes. There’s been a lot of talk and numbers thrown down about how bad Proposition 1 is. There seems to be a false narrative going around that if this proposition passes that there will be NO tourism in Sitka! They seem to have forgotten the real tourist industry here!
“All cruisers are tourists, but not all tourists are cruisers.”
There are the independent tourists that FILL the fish charters and lodges. Independent tourists that fill the hotels, B&Bs, short-term rentals, Air B&Bs, VRBO’s, hostels, airlines, ferries, car rentals, RV parks, wildlife tours, van tours, hiking tours, etc.
We share with them grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants, food trucks, clothing stores, art stores, chocolatiers, museums and such.
A lot of jobs and sales tax are generated by those Independent tourists! (And us locals.)
Now let’s toss in 300,000 “cruisers.” That number may be low as it does not include any “crew members” nor any “cruisers” on ships under 250 passengers. There are 53 small ship sailings (number from cruise ship calendar into Sitka season 2025.)
I think we have a very robust and very busy tourist season ahead of us.
Be wary of people tossing numbers around and question them if they can’t back them up with real solid facts from real solid sources!
“Disinformation is duping. Misinformation is tricking.”
The proposition is not anti-tourist; rather, it aims to manage the overwhelming influx of cruise passengers. Proposition 1 was written with flexibility to fine tune it by the Assembly if needed. It finally gives the City of Sitka a solid foundation to really manage the cruise passenger flow into Sitka!
Jim Moormann, Sitka
