It's Just Movies: Review of Cruise Boom by Bev Questad

Know anyone who has gone on an Alaskan cruise this past year?

The new Klondike Gold Rush (1896-189) is The Alaskan Tourist Rush. With the recent opening of a private dock in Sitka, the inhabitants say, “Welcome!” But quietly they wonder, “At what point do we lose a lot of our spirit?” One thing is for sure, they have lost significant control of their city.

Here’s what happened. With a population around 8,400, the people in Sitka voted against establishing a public dock for cruise ships. However, someone owning the local shipyard contacted Royal Caribbean and partnered with them to build a private terminal. It was a good deal for the landowner but has proven to be a challenging ordeal for the community.

Now, without public control of the dock, the City and Borough of Sitka, which is governed by a Unified Home Rule system, realized they could not control how many ships or passengers came to Sitka, a two-island community accessible only by plane or boat. Plus, the town had no right to the docking fees.

As the baby-boomers have retired and taken to traveling around the world, Alaska offers a unique American experience. But the environmental effects of these mammoth ships and an influx of tourists in a minimum of 180 days on these tiny towns is an overwhelming challenge for the people living there. Over 379.000 cruise ship tourists visited Sitka the first year of their post-Covid cruise boom. Approx 560,000 passengers visited the second year.

Though there is some gratitude for the summer onslaught of tourist business in restaurants and souvenir shops, the Sitka people soon realized they needed to create a more robust infrastructure for electricity, waste management and accommodations for out-of-town seasonal workers. How could such a tiny town afford all this?

A PBS film, “Cruise Boom” investigates the many pros and cons besetting the Sitka residents. “Cruise Boom” is also now available online for free viewing (watch in below). Perhaps you will be motivated to get onboard for observing glaciers calving and wild animals treated well at sanctuaries. Your attendance at indigenous performances and cultural centers will hopefully re-invigorate the indigenous Alaskan heritage.

But the downside is also presented, and it may make you pause. “From Bar Harbor, Maine to Tahiti, French Polynesia, a global conversation is happening with communities working to decide what kind of tourism they want to see.” Whatever your point of view, directors Ellen Frankenstein and Atman Mehta have created a powerful film for you to ponder.

Link to It’s Just Movies Review of Cruise Boom

Cruise Boom: Video Librarian Review→

J Zimmerman, February 5, 2024

Cruise Boom: A Community on the Cusp of Change delves into the struggle of Sitka, Alaska, a picturesque town nestled amidst glacier-frosted mountains and the island-studded sea. Facing the impending surge of cruise ship tourism, the tight-knit community grapples with a profound dilemma. A large public cruise ship dock is opposed by locals–twice rejected during elections–leading a local business to construct a private dock with the support of a global cruise ship corporation.

As the town teeters on the brink of being overwhelmed by tourists, residents confront the complex interplay of economic opportunity and the preservation of their community's essence. Against the backdrop of a once-booming pulp mill and a still-booming fishing industry now without a supporting dock, this 55-minute documentary portrays the shifting dynamics of a town contemplating the impacts and benefits of global tourism. Cruise Boom raises critical questions about who truly benefits, the threshold of sustainable tourism, and the essence of hospitality in the face of a changing world.

My sole complaint about this film is its lack of concrete information. Topics such as taxes, job creation, and economic opportunity are thrown around a lot, but we never get the numbers. I wish the city council members, business owners, and local activists interviewed for this documentary had been given the space to discuss the quantitative side of their issues and plans.

While their emotional arguments and rhetoric are very well documented and important to understanding the multifaceted issues of modern tourism in small communities, the lack of economic information especially makes it difficult for the viewer to understand the full scope of the problem and proposed solutions.

That being said, Cruise Boom is an outstanding documentary. The pacing is excellent, and the interviews are intimate and compelling. Cruise Boom would fit right in public library collections about tourism and economics. Highly Recommended.

Where does this documentary belong on public library shelves?

Cruise Boom belongs among tourism, economics, and environmental documentary titles.

What kind of film series could use this title?

Cruise Boom belongs in any film series about tourism and small-town economies.

Link to Video Librarian Review