Legislation introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, would help salvage the state’s 2021 cruise season by deeming round-trip voyages between Alaska and Washington state as foreign voyages for the purposes of U.S. law.
The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act would provide a temporary workaround of the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which requires that non-coastwise endorsed cruise vessels stop at a foreign port, in this case Canada, between domestic stops. Young introduced the legislation on Feb. 24, in the wake of the Canadian government’s decision to extend closure of their waters and ports to vessels carrying over 100 passengers until Feb. 28, 2022, to stem the tide of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Young’s office said the bill’s provisions are narrowly tailored to provide targeted relief for large cruise ship trips to and from Washington state and Alaska. which are critical to hundreds of jobs in the state’s summer economy.
Canada’s decision to close its ports through next February means significant economic uncertainty for small business owners and the broader tourism economy.
Young said that if cruises can safely proceed, as he believes, then everything possible should be done to alleviate the stress and anxiety of families whose livelihoods depend on the tourism business.
“The COVID-19 pandemic devastated Alaska’s 2020 cruise season; we must not allow the same to happen to 2021’s season,” he said.
The congressman noted that the number of people vaccinated against the pandemic virus is growing and daily cases are on the decline.
“By the time the 2021 cruise season typically starts, I am confident that we will be in a strong position to allow cruises to resume with proper safeguards in place,” he said.
