Wednesday was the first meeting of the new year for the Haines Tourism Advisory Board. They are preparing for a significant increase in summer tourism this year.
According to a report at the Tourism Advisory Board meeting, the Haines borough will be host to increased cruise ship traffic in 2019. CarolAnn Wooton, the Haines tourism director, reported several new ships are coming to port including a 600 passenger ship from Asmara Cruise lines and the return of the Alaskan Dream Cruises.
Some of the new ships are bigger than others, but Wooton says they’re all important. The new ships aren’t just a quantitative change, but a qualitative one.
“They are all truly high end cruise lines. People I expect will shop the community. I think they’re perfect for Haines,” says Wooton.
Cruise arrivals will begin in late April this year. The board expects nearly 65,000 cruise visitors and 29,000 crew this summer. Wooton says this is about a 16% increase over last year. Last year Haines had increased docking but not such a marked increase in passengers.
Wooton says she did not have enough volunteers to keep docks staffed last year. She is asking the borough for a $12-13,000 dollar budget increase to pay for two part time dock staff.
“I think having someboidy on that dock is the best welcome we can have for people. Our town is not on top of the dock. You often watch people come off the cruise ship and kinda look a little confused: ‘Okay, where do I go?’ Having people on that dock is going to make people feel a lot more welcome,” Wooton says.
She says that because there will be additional high end cruise ships the borough is welcoming visitors that anticipate services at the dock.
Haines is expecting more than just cruise ships–the board expects an increase in road traffic as well. The Fantasy RV Caravan scheduled six tours of 24 RVS for multi-day stays in town. Wooton says there was a jump in Yukon traffic last year and expects that trend to continue.
Since Skagway is losing a number of hotel rooms, the board is aware that Haines could be an alternative for summer travelers seeking overnight lodging.
