We asked our community to share about their relationship to cruise tourism in Sitka. Here are our questions, and their answers.

What emotions does the summer evoke you? Has that changed over the years? Do you have experiences of Sitka with big tourist numbers? Has your routine changed, your relationship to the town, to your work, to your passions? Even one sentence of your story would be incredibly helpful for our movement.

To share your story, email us at sitka@smalltownsoul.org, or contact us here.

Bruce White

Subject: Examples of how cruise ship tourism has impacted us

• We moved to Sitka from Juneau 12 years ago to get away from all the negative impacts from cruise ship tourists there. Unfortunately, Sitka now gets more tourists per capita than Juneau, and more than anywhere in Southeast Alaska except for Hoonah and Skagway. Residents have had no say in how many tourists the cruise ships bring to Sitka.

• The road noise mostly from tour buses and vans makes enjoying our home nearly impossible from May to October. We can't use our deck and we can't talk to each other outside our home because the traffic is so loud. In addition, we have to clean the soot that comes from all the diesel exhaust off our home several times per year. We have to use ear plugs when outside working in our gardens or maintaining our property.

• Our favorite places to recreate (fishing/hiking) are being overrun by tour companies. The crowds that cruise ships bring do not represent the Alaska lifestyle or why we chose to make Alaska our home for over 45 years.

• We've had close encounters (near accidents) with tour boats, both sightseeing and charter fishing boats, because of reckless boat operators. 

• The cost of living in Sitka is soaring which is common at all tourist destinations. Housing, food, and fuel costs are all far above the national average and even higher than in Hawaii.

• Traffic on the roads during cruise ship season is congested and at times dangerous with all the e-bikes and tour buses and shuttles. Tailgating has become common and walking or riding a bike on Halibut Point Road can be dangerous. While the "state" considers Halibut Point Road a "highway," actual highways don't have clusters of mailboxes on them, they don't have pedestrians using them, and they don't have driveways adjoining them. Sitka was not designed to absorb 600,000 plus tourists.

• Our main downtown business district (Lincoln Street) is closed to local traffic most of the tourist season and turned into a tourist walking mall. When the last cruise ship of the season leaves, many of the shops close down. We are basically being removed from our own downtown district. We have to plan our trips into town around the cruise ship schedule to avoid the crowds. 

• People who invest in tourism businesses act as if they are more important than those of us who invested in homes. We want to feel like we belong in a year round community, not a seasonal tourist theme park. Housing is being bought up around us by LLC's and occupied only during the tour season by non-residents who have no regard for or interest in life-long Alaskans.

• There was no collaboration about the number of tourists that cruise ships bring into Sitka, but rather here they are Sitka, accommodate them the best you can by closing streets and redirecting traffic patterns. A previous city administor put the sweet spot for tourists at 250,000. The city politicians have repeatedly ignored our requests to moderate the number of tourists coming on tour ships and instead claim "there is nothing they can do about it" when obviously there is. 

• Based on letters to the editor of the Daily Sitka Sentinel from tour business owners and comments from the mayor himself, we feel discriminated against based on age, that retired people somehow don't belong here, that we are occupying homes that others more aligned with their interests could use, or that we don't contribute to the community, or the economy. 

Sincerely,

Bruce White 

(45 year Alaska resident)

Kim Elliot

My name is Kim Elliot. I live on Maksoutoff Street in downtown Sitka. Over the years as the cruise ship visitors have increased, the downtown visitor traffic has been increasingly heavy. I have had visitors come down the road & found some who walked through my gate, down my private entry and invaded my deck. Mostly to take photos, I think. Nothing is ever missing. The worst days are when 5 big ships in same day. I don’t have a no trespass sign on my house but there is a sign along road which says private road. I intend to remedy my sign issue. Was hoping to make something creative but no time to do so. Personally, I have traveled considerably over my years all over the world & would never consider going onto obviously private property. I’m a very long time resident of Sitka & know some visitors are courteous. I have often tried to assist them in finding Sitka “must see” usually at Harbor Drive & my road intersection. Seems everyone comes with phones they’re looking at instead of Sitka sights. Had a few so busy doing that have walked right into my car when I just waiting to go to appointment or store & they don’t even see me. No haven’t had road rage but close to it. In closing I would like to see a reduction of, or spreading out of big ships visits so the quality is improved for both visitors & residents. I pray my words might make a difference for everyone’s quality of life. Sincerely, Kim Elliot, Sitkan since 1959.

Anonymous

Crossing Halibut Road is a huge hazard at the Cascade Creek Road / Sea Mart intersection, as well as Kashevaroff and Peterson Streets. Folks leaving Sea Mart towards downtown don’t honor the sign to allow Cascade Creek Road traffic the right of way. Vehicles heading out HPR are speeding and there is a bottleneck because drivers pass up so many of the rare, available slots to move into the traffic lanes. Maybe we need another roundabout, because the constant flow of busses, tour vehicles, taxis and such,  makes it next to impossible to get into the traffic lane. Lives are risked daily by gunning it to get into the inbound lane, in the summer, and our valuable time is wasted…

Anonymous

Subject: Forest Bathing

In these times of terrifying turmoil, some of us are really,really

stressed and frightened. So it is more important than ever that we are able

to indulge in what is normally a tried and true Sitkan antidote-walking in

the forest!  (zero emissions, benign  and healthy)

I go out and hike around feeling at one with the forest, overjoyed by

birdsong, refreshed by lapping ocean waves... rain comes, sun shines, the

mountains gleam and rainbows arc.

Bliss.

Then there is a clomping wave of noise, as a dozen or more chattering

tourists on a 'bike and hike' tour or some such come thundering up the path.

Even on out of town trails like Thimbleberry, peace is shattered. Forget

Totem Park!

I would of course welcome people from elsewhere to enjoy our wonders.

But they don't seem to know anything about tranquility or being one with

nature. Too self immersed in chitter chatter to hear the birds and feel the

breeze.

Visitors are like mosquitos- fine in small numbers, unbearable when in

overwhelming swarms.

Annony mouse

Dave Hardy

Last year I couldn't visit the Sitka Historical Park Visitor Center because most of the nearby parking is reserved for tourist buses. My friend couldn't make the trip from the Sawmill Creek Road entrance to the park because of her weak legs.  At the Fortress of the Bears there were so many tourists in the way that we barely got a chance to observe the animals.  I can no longer visit my bank or pay my bills at my convenience.  I now have to plan my trips into town when there are few tourists so that I can find convenient parking and am able to walk down the street without being constantly jostled.  So many busses produce a lot of traffic.  I have to add extra travel time to get to my appointments on schedule.  Driving is nerve-wracking.  In town I am on constant alert for tourists who walk right into the street. Driving home is an issue of E-bikes being ridden by unskilled riders.  Going out for lunch is now limited to the Nugget or Pizza Express because downtown restaurants are serving tourists

Anonymous

As a cyclist, I feel unsafe on the roads when tourist  numbers are high. Tourists on foot clog the streets and ignore my bell. Getting out to Seamart in the summer is unsafe because of the buses.

Linda Danner

The Tongass National Forest is what cruise ships offer their passengers. And why they have them.

For those of us that fight to retain  this "largest, last remaining rain forest", it's a pity we can't walk on our wooded trails in the summer without ebike tourism disrupting the glory of our well fought battles.

Linda Danner

Toby Campbell

I LOVE Sitka, living in Sitka, and our beautiful community and environment. I also love that tourists come to enjoy and soak in the beauty here. It’s critically important that we find a BALANCE so the citizens of Sitka and our visitors can all continue to enjoy Sitka.

Anonymous

My office is one block away from Lincoln Street. On busy cruise ship days my co-workers and I notice how slow and spotty internet and cellphone services become. On very large cruise ship days, these systems collapse and we cannot do our jobs. We are an emergency responder! Who will compensate my employer for the lost productivity? And the community for the loss of  essential services?