Tourist numbers high, business profits variable
- Natalie Buttner
- Aug 6
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 6
Early season unknowns solidify into a hopeful reality; Juneau tourism remains at full capacity
Cruise ships visiting Juneau this summer have met or exceeded capacity, ending early season worries about faltering numbers of international tourists and economic uncertainty. For some downtown businesses, spending is down. Staff shortages at the Mendenhall Glacier remain an unresolved challenge.
It’s not difficult to find foreign tourists downtown near the cruise ship docks. George Fleming sat with his wife, Chris, at a picnic table facing the bustle of tour vendors and fellow passengers, his back to the water. He wore a cowboy hat with a Canadian flag patch, front and center.
He and his wife are from Edmonton, Alberta. From one capital city to another, they admitted they thought Juneau would be bigger.
“But I love this. I love a small town,” George Fleming said.
A short distance down the pier, local residents Tom Paul and Jack Fontanella entertained arriving passengers by playing what they call “old-timey” music. Paul played the fiddle and Fontanella played banjo. Both men are retired and use busking as an excuse to play together, “as if we need one,” Paul jokes. Their performances are weather-dependent.
“The beauty of playing only on sunny days is everybody's pretty upbeat,” Fontanella said.
Paul said cruise lines probably don’t advertise the crowded docks and jammed streets of downtown Juneau.
“A lot of times people seem really happy to meet locals and some of them seem kind of amazed at how many people are here at one time,” Paul said.
International Tourism
There was nationwide concern about the tourism industry at the beginning of this summer. The World Travel and Tourism Council predicted in May the national tourism industry stood to lose $12.5 billion from a decline in international tourists.
However, City and Borough of Juneau Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce notes that cruise ships arriving in Juneau in summer 2025 remain at full capacity. In June, capacity was at 107% with 354,229 cruise ship passengers visiting Juneau, and 110% in July with 383,374 passengers visiting Juneau. Capacities higher than 100% are caused by two-person berths holding more than two people — for example, families with children.
Cruise ship travel may be insulated from immediate changes in the tourism industry, as many trips are booked in advance.
There has been a significant decrease in Canadian visitors to the U.S. nationally. Tariffs and Trump referring to Canada as the “51st” state caused some Canadians, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to call for a boycott of U.S. tourism and products. There have also been instances of Canadian tourists being detained as they try to re-enter Canada from the U.S.
Though George Fleming said he had reservations about visiting the U.S. during the current administration, it was too late to change plans.
“We booked this before he (Trump) did everything,” he said.
For the Flemings, a cruise in Southeast Alaska seemed safer than a trip to the Lower 48.
“When we talked to our travel agent and everything else, she said, ‘If you're going to do the states, Alaska and Hawaii are the two to do, because they're not the states. Alaska is on its own, Hawaii is on its own, and they've got their own’ — actually, what did Tammy say?” Chris Fleming turned to her husband for confirmation, “‘They've got their own brains.’”
George and Chris Fleming left from Vancouver, British Columbia, and will be returning to the same port, easing their immigration fears.
“Right now I don’t think I would go across the border to the south at all. Because I probably wouldn’t be able to get back to Canada,” added George Fleming.
While they haven’t met any other Canadians aboard, they have enjoyed a friendly atmosphere on the ship and in Juneau.
“The people here, it's like, we belong here, it's not like, ‘oh, you're a tourist,’” Chris Fleming said.
City and Borough of Juneau programs
Connectivity is among the amenities available to tourists in downtown Juneau through Marine Passenger Fees. Anyone can connect to CBJ public Wi-Fi downtown. Pierce also notes that GCI and AT&T have increased their capacity in Juneau, improving communication downtown.
Traffic guards in bright yellow vests usher crowds from the docks to the stores and restaurants across Marine Way. Pierce said in the past, the crossing guard program had struggled with staffing retention. However, a new contractor took over the program in July, which has decreased turnover. The new contract requires an on-site supervisor who checks in with the crossing guards and monitors their breaks.
“It’s still a challenge to make sure that all the crosswalks are staffed and to cover busy times, but because downtown Juneau is such a bottleneck, it's really important that we have those crossing guards,” Pierce said.
Pierce said the concerns that the Tourism Best Management Practices Program has received from locals are similar to other years.
“We have our usual concerns about the persistent community issues like helicopter noise and whale watching,” she said.
Business and spending
Pierce notes that while cruise ships remain at full capacity, she has heard there has been a slight decline in spending. She attributes this to recession concerns.
“When people already have a vacation booked, they probably are still going to go on that vacation, they just might not splurge in a way that they would typically,” she said.
However, while she said this year may not be a record year for many stores, sales are fine.
“I was worried about the soft economy and all the tariffs and things, but so far, it's been holding up really well,” said Kim White, owner of Alaska Shoppe in downtown Juneau.
Liz Perry, president and CEO of local tourism nonprofit Travel Juneau, also noticed less spending from travelers.
“They're a little more cautious with spending this year,” she said. “So we're seeing some contraction of spending, and I think it just depends on the operator, and what that operator does, or what that retailer has to offer.”
Some jewelers found this year to be especially difficult.
“I must say that when we started business in 2017 the first year should be the toughest year. But I must say, 2025 is the toughest year,” said Neha Vaswani, owner of Venetian Jewelers.
Jewelry shop owners and employees in downtown Juneau had a variety of theories about why this summer is shining less brightly. Vaswani believed the dip was political.
“There are a lot of wars going on and it's a new president, changing policies,” she said. “People are a little skeptical.”
Norma Carandang owns the shop where Venetian Jewelers operates, as well as North Star Gifts, which sells higher-end souvenirs. Carandang estimated her sales are down by about 30% compared to previous years.
“There’s a lot of people here all the time when there’s cruise ships, but they decide that they treat our store like a park,” Carandang said. “They’re just wandering.”
Araksi Ekmekjian is a longtime employee at Lambros Goldsmith, the tenth jewelry store from the tram. She blamed her competitors for the slow year.
“We have a lot more jewelry stores,” Ekmekjian said. “And what I'm noticing is, when people get off the cruise ship, there is like bouncers in front of the stores, harassing, kind of, customers. Sometimes by the time they get here, they don't even want to talk to you.”
Pierce agreed there has been a long-term trend of more jewelry stores in downtown Juneau. She said jewelry businesses and cruise ships have a symbiotic relationship.
“The joke that I’ve used is like, the cruise line is like the whale shark, they’re like those little remora fish that follow the whale shark around,” Pierce said.
At least one downtown business has had a record season. Glacier Scoops opened in May, and co-owner Corina Giamakidis said their first two months of business have exceeded expectations.
“We opened May 19, and so right in the middle of it, just full speed ahead,” Giamakidis said. “We opened our doors and it was just a rush of people, which was awesome. We couldn't expect that.”
Perry notes hotel occupancy is down, but anticipates data gathered in the upcoming month will determine if business has shifted to short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
Mendenhall Glacier staff still facing struggles
While business downtown may be stable, it has been a difficult season at the Mendenhall Glacier, a major Juneau attraction. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center operated with limited hours all summer due to staffing shortages caused by federal layoffs at the U.S. Forest Service.
“It's been a tough season, and just really, really impressed with everybody who's been able to kind of pull together and make it work, as well as have,” Pierce said.
There are 12 weeks until the final cruise ship leaves Juneau on Oct. 14.
“We're really hopeful to have a good finish to the end of this season,” Perry said.
• Contact Natalie Buttner at natalieb@juneauindependent.com.
