The latest Fact Finding 30 Interim Report issued by FMC Commissioner Louis Sola chronicles the significant economic impact the canceled 2020 cruise season is having on Alaskan citizens and tourism related businesses.
The report examines the economic impact of COVID-19 on the cruise industry in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. As part of the report’s information gathering, Commissioner Sola traveled to Anchorage, Whittier, and Seward where he met with elected officials, port directors, business executives, and labor leaders. The report he issued examines 16 Alaskan ports as well as ports in Seattle and Astoria, Oregon.
The nature of the Alaska cruise industry ties that state to Washington and Oregon. The Port of Seattle is the homeport for many cruise ships and more than one million individuals fly in and out of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to take cruise voyages. The hotel, ground transportation, and tourism sectors have all been affected by the cessation of cruise operations in general and the suspension of the Alaska season in particular. Similarly, the Port of Astoria, Oregon has weathered an economic impact as a result of lost cruise business.