Skagwegians had the unusual opportunity for dinner and a movie on Jan. 19 when Skagway Arts Council screened the documentary Cruise Boom at AB Hall. 

Directed, filmed and edited by Ellen Frankenstein and Atman Mehta, the 50-minute film explores how Sitka will deal with a drastic increase in cruise ship passengers, a seasonal total of roughly 500,000. 

Long-time Sitka resident, Frankenstein, Zoomed with the Skagway audience following the screening. She described reactions to the film.  

Ellen Frankenstein:“Well, the reception has been that this is really a hot topic. And people have a lot to say, there isn’t one way to kind of peel the onion. And I think one of the things that’s hard, and it builds for years, when you bring up stuff that has to deal with resources and economies, it’s touchy.” 

Sherry Corrington came to the event with an anonymous poll she passed around the hall. The survey read: Do you think we need to limit the number of visitors in town each day during the summer? Respondents could choose yes, no or maybe. She also provided a sign-up sheet for a future meeting to “brainstorm ways to create a sustainable model of tourism in Skagway.” 

Corrington broke down the number of Skagway cruise ship passengers per year-round resident. 

Sherry Corrington: “We got 1.3 million last year. And let’s say we have roughly 1,000 [residents], give or take. That’s 1,200-1,300 people per resident. We’re all feeling the effects of that, 100%. We’re watching our friends leave town. Prices are insane for rentals or to buy a home.” 

Bruce Schindler noted that Skagway has always struggled with keeping up with tourism, even when the numbers were as low as 500,000. 

 

Bruce Schindler: “We are being overwhelmed by the industry that — I think we all love this industry. But too much of a good thing will choke you. The other side of the coin has been our ability to adapt to this industry as it has grown.” 

Schindler referenced inadequate staffing and housing, lack of bathrooms and poor traffic flow. 

The conversations at the screening were exactly what Frankenstein was hoping for. 

Ellen Frankenstein: “The communities need to try and have a dialogue about what they want, and how you find balance if there is such a thing. So you can support, we can support our economies. But we need to do it in a way that makes the place that we love — the places we love and care about remain the places that we love and care about.”  

Her statement was greeted with an enthusiastic hoot.