Canada extended its ban on cruise ships until February 2022, an act that is likely to prevent large cruise ships from visiting Alaska this year, just as it did in 2020.
Transport Canada announced the extension on Thursday morning, saying that “cruise ships in Canadian waters pose a risk to our health systems” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada has banned cruise ships with more than 100 passengers since spring 2020, and the ban was set to expire at the end of February this year.
Most of the large cruise ships that visit Alaska are registered in foreign countries. US federal law prohibits foreign-registered ships from sailing between two American ports, unless they stop at a foreign port in the middle. To comply with this rule, large cruise ships bound for Alaska begin their travels in Canada or stop in Canada during their journey.
Two years ago, 1.3 million cruise ship passengers visited southeastern Alaska, representing most of the state’s tourists. Many of these tourists have landed for excursions in Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks.
Last year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Canadian restrictions, only 48 cruise ship passengers visited southeastern Alaska, according to statistics from Rain Coast Data, a Juneau company.
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