Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska has published its summer schedule for the state, and 23 large and small cruise ships are currently scheduled to visit Kodiak. That’s the most to visit since before the pandemic and the tides of tourism might be shifting our way. Cities in Southeast Alaska usually see more than a million …

June 10, 2021 by Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media Canada’s federal government is considering how to begin loosening its COVID-19 border restrictions, but it seems likely that the ban on letting Americans cross for nonessential travel will continue past June 21, when the current rules expire. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke this week of taking a phased …

May 20, 2021 by Eric Stone, KRBD – Ketchikan Big cruise ships could be heading for Alaska later this summer. A federal bill that would allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to bypass Canada on their way to Alaska is headed to the president’s desk after unanimously passing the U.S. House of Representatives. That follows the U.S. Senate passing similar …

May 17, 2021 by Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media Alaska is expecting to see a lot of travelers this summer — especially compared to last year. Cheapwheels Rent-A-Car. (Abbey Collins/Alaska Public Media) As COVID-19 restrictions still bar large cruise ships from Alaska waters, most visitors are expected to come by plane — which means many are looking …

by Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media The cruise ship the Silver Shadow. (Photo by Maggie Wall / KMXT) The U.S. Senate passed a bill Thursday that could allow cruise ships to return to Alaska ports this summer. The bill temporarily lifts the requirement that foreign cruise ships – nearly the entire fleet – stop in …

April 26, 2021 by Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media As the summer approaches, Alaska’s travel industry is preparing for another uncertain pandemic season. Widespread vaccine availability has improved the travel landscape in Alaska, but Sarah Leonard, President and CEO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association, said it’s still hard to predict exactly what summer will look like. …

April 20, 2021 by Claire Stremple, KTOO Alaska will join Florida in a federal lawsuit challenging the current cruise ship regulations in the U.S. The lawsuit says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is overstepping its authority with the Conditional Sailing Order, which imposes strict COVID-19 safety precautions on the cruise industry. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office released …

CrabFest 2021 is proceeding as planned this upcoming year, and the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce is calling for submissions for the design of its poster and logo. “A huge part of it is just the social aspect of it too, for town. Like we do have a lot of tourists and it’s exciting,” said Sarah …

Kodiak can look forward to the return of cruise ships in 2021. While the recently published schedule is still extremely tentative in the context of the global pandemic, cruise ships may reach the dock of Kodiak as early as May 1st this upcoming year. Many small businesses downtown and around the island benefit from the …

It was a summer the Olds River Inn hopes never to repeat. Like many Kodiak businesses, the coronavirus pandemic took a big bite out of its customer base. Tourists stayed home. The Coast Guard barred its members from Kodiak eating and drinking establishments. And while locals helped the inn stay afloat, the 40-minute drive …