Wrangell’s 2027 cruise ship season will see less large vessel traffic than the previous year – which also means less cruise ship visitors. One of the largest vessels that has become a regular visitor will be in the Mediterranean next season.
The Queen Elizabeth, which carries nearly 2,100 visitors, will not be operating in Alaska waters next season. Its loss will knock about 12,000 tourists from next year’s count.
Here’s Wrangell’s Economic Development Director Kate Thomas.
We will see it most prominently in the Port Development Fund and the Commercial Passenger Vessel Fund. Because those larger ships pay more to tie up, and we get money from the state as a passthrough for the head tax.
While a slower season may make for a more manageable tourist season in town, it also decreases revenue brought in by larger vessels.
The state commercial passenger vessel “head tax” applies to ships with more than 250 passengers traveling through Alaska waters for more than one night.
Thomas says that it’s hard to put an exact amount on the lost revenue, but she expects it to have an impact. Head tax revenue helps to fund local infrastructure and quality-of-life projects and provide matches for grants for bigger projects.
To a certain degree, we do have to recalibrate what our priorities are, and we do that year over year.
Thomas says the borough prepares for fluctuations in visitors, so they will not necessarily change any of the currently planned projects.
