Proposed Cruise Ship Fee Waivers

BOROUGH'S TOURISM REVITALIZATION INITIATIVE

What’s The Problem ?

Alaska’s current fiscal crisis makes the Borough’s sales tax more important today than ever before.  Sales tax pays for nearly half of the Borough’s operating expenses -- and tourists pay for roughly half of the Borough’s sales tax.

But over the last ten years, the Borough’s sales tax receipts increased just enough to keep up with inflation.  The Borough needs to give it a jump-start if it wants to use sales tax to make the loss of state-shared revenues.  The Borough will depend on the growth of sales tax receipts to maintain its current levels of services such as public safety and emergency response, street maintenance, library, museum, facility maintenance, etc.

What’s The Borough Doing ?

A few months ago, the Borough kicked off a three-prong attempt to raise sales tax receipts.  It focuses on passengers from cruise ships.  This initiative entails:

1. Cruise Ship Waiver Program:  The Borough’s Tourism Department wants to use this program to grab the attention of new cruise ship lines.  It also wants to provide an incentive for existing cruise ship lines to keep coming to Haines.  And finally, it wants these fee reductions to trickle down to local tour operators who, in turn, will use the savings to bolster and improve their tourism products.
    

2. New Tourism Products:  Among other projects, the CED Director is exploring ways and means to add value to existing natural and cultural resources.  For example, the Borough and the American Bald Eagle Foundation (BEF) are working together to build a “Science and Ecotrepreneur Center”.  This project will expand the existing BFE facility to include more display space, IMAX theatre, aviary for live exhibits and a classroom/lab for the study of ornithology.  The facility will also include a business incubator for the startup of ecotourism businesses.
    
3. Borough Tourism Products:  Finally, the Borough is looking for ways and means to spruce-up Borough facilities, gardens and other landscape features.  It would like to lead the way to make downtown Haines even more beautiful and attractive to visitors.

Why Now ?

The long-range planning required by the cruise ship lines makes acting on the proposed cruise ship waivers a priority.  Cruise ship lines are already working on their Year 2017 itineraries.  The state government’s existing fiscal crisis will likely get worse.  To get the sales tax relief that the Borough will need, it needs to act now.

The Tourism Department wants to present the waivers to the cruise ship lines at the upcoming trade shows and conferences.  It wants to offer existing cruise lines and operators an incentive to keep coming to Haines.  Each year it would like to see the number of cruise ship passengers increase – along with the sales tax they generate.

How To Stay Informed !

This webpage provides a way to track and monitor the Borough’s progress.  Occasionally the title of it may change to reflect current activities.  It will provide a growing list of links to different documents and presentations used along the way.

In addition to this webpage, people can join the Borough’s listserve.  People on the listserve will receive notices of upcoming meetings and changes to the website.  To join the listserve, sign up at a one of the meetings or send an email to bmandeville@haines@ak.us

Finally, keep reading the Chilkat Valley News or listen to KHNS Radio.  The Borough will continue to send them press releases at different stages of the project.  Both the newspaper and radio will get  notices of upcoming meetings.  Plus, their reporters usually attend the meetings and like to tell their readers or listeners about it.