US House Passes Bill To Allow Cruising in Alaska
The bill was passed by the U.S. Senate on May 14 and it would allow foreign cruise ships to sail to and around Alaska from the U.S. without having to stop at a foreign port, which has usually been Vancouver or Victoria, Canada. The foreign port requirement is part of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, which many believe is no longer needed.
This is significant because Canada banned large cruise ships from sailing its waters through February 2022.
The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act would call for a temporary waiver of the foreign port requirement and allow ships to sail to Alaska from U.S. homeports such as Seattle.
Bill To Allow Cruising in Alaska Passes
The bill now must go through a few more hoops before it goes before President Joe Biden for his signature. The bill was sponsored by the U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The companion House of Representatives bill was introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska.
The news was greeted with approval from the American Society of Travel Advisors. An ASTA statement read: “ASTA welcomes unanimous House passage of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act and commends Congressman Young and Senators Murkowski and Sullivan and others for their dogged efforts to salvage part of the 2021 Alaska cruise season.”
“Since February, ASTA has advocated for this legislation, and it was one of the policy ‘asks’ in more than 170 Congressional meetings as part of ASTA Legislative Day just yesterday. We call on President Biden to sign it as soon as possible.”
US House Approves a Bill To Allow Cruising in Alaska
The announcement went on to say, “While our members continue to face challenges and need additional support from the government, setting this framework for 2021 Alaska cruising is a big step in the right direction. We again commend Congress for taking this necessary step and thank our cruise line partners for the work they put in here and to restart cruising generally. We’re proud of the part we played in this success.”
Before sailings could resume the approval of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is needed. On May 20 Royal Caribbean International announced the cancellation of the summer cruise season from Bermuda and noted, “the likelihood of cruises setting sail from the U.S. this summer is greater each day, and with that, U.S. travelers are increasingly showing a preference for more direct access to ports of departure.”
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