The sight of cruise ships has returned to Seward earlier than usual, bringing a boost of confidence for the upcoming tourist season.
“It really makes it feel like Seward ,” Samantha Allen, the executive director for the Seward Chamber of Commerce, said. “Summer is kicking in.”cruise ships are set to dock in Seward between April and when the last ship sails in for the season on Oct.
14. Allen says she is expecting 200,000 passengers to visit Seward this year on cruise ships, similar to the numbers the port town saw in 2023. Despite the state facing a staffing shortage, Allen believes the town is ready to welcome a cruise ship earlier this year. The Chamber of Commerce has been looking at data during the past years to help prepare themselves for the expected customer influx every season. “That’s always a hurdle we have to jump over in this industry, across Alaska,” Allen said. “From what we are seeing, most of our businesses are ready to go.”Local Seward brewery and shop owner Elle Zernia said she gets 80% of her yearly revenue from tourists. “Tourism season is everything for our business,” Zernia said. “It’s what we do during the summer to make sure we can stay open as long as we can during the winter as well.” She adds her husband, who operates a fishing charter out of Seward, also makes a major chunk of his revenue from tourists. Once the tourism starts, she says, local shop owners get prepared for the influx of customers, so when the hundreds of passengers pour down the Seward streets on port days, they’re ready for business. “Everybody is making sure they are fully stocked on those days with all their gifts and treats and anything else they might have,” Zernia said.
SEWARD PORT DAYS ALASKA CRUISES CRUISE SHIPS DOCK IN SEWARD CRUISE SHIPS ARRIVE IN SEWARD HOW MANY CRUISE SHIPS ARE GOING TO SEWARD THIS YEA SEWARD PORT DAYS IN ALASKA TOURISM INDUSTRY TOURISM ECONOMY
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