Great News for Cruises to Alaska

The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act has passed unanimously through both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is expected to be signed by President Biden in the coming weeks. This legislation would temporarily suspend the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which requires that foreign-flagged ships make at least one foreign stop when cruising from one U.S port to another.

This is important because as most cruise ships are foreign flagged, they must involve a Canadian port for their Alaska itineraries. Canada’s current ban on cruise ships does not expire until February 2022, but the ATRA will allow cruise ships to Alaska directly from Washington. It would expire when Canada’s ban expires, or March 31, 2022.

Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young have been focused on this issue since the ban, working towards a solution to protect the seasonal tourism industry in Alaska from another lost year.

Senator Murkowski on the Senate Passage of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA)