New port plans to spotlight the region's rich
Tlingit culture and remove nearly one-third of bus traffic from
Juneau's most congested roadways,
enhancing the overall guest and resident experience
JUNEAU,
Alaska, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldbelt
Incorporated, the urban Alaska Native, for-profit corporation of
Juneau, is partnering with Royal
Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) to explore co-developing a new port
aimed at strengthening the city's infrastructure while improving
traffic congestion downtown and enhancing the local and visitor
experience.
Situated on Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land on
Douglas Island, the port's
preliminary designs have two floating berths overlooking the
Chilkat Range. Visitors will be transported from a modern cruise
ship to a recreated 1800s Alaska Native Tlingit village, where they
will experience Goldbelt shareholders' ancestral history through
stories, art, songs, dance, and traditional foods.
Designed to utilize the existing whale-watching tour operations,
the project plans for guests to depart directly from West Douglas
Island onto whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to Mendenhall
Glacier to counter downtown traffic. This route will remove nearly
one-third of the bus traffic from Juneau's most impacted roadways, from downtown
Franklin Street to the Glacier
Highway, enhancing the overall guest and resident experience, while
also paying testament to Alaska Native culture.
"Goldbelt has long sought to establish a cruise terminal and
destination centered around Tlingit history on the backside of
Douglas Island," stated McHugh Pierre, President & CEO of Goldbelt,
Inc. "We look forward to the prospect of bringing this sustainable,
culture-rich cruise ship terminal to life in partnership with Royal
Caribbean Group, providing community solutions to local
transportation and economic development issues."
With positioning on the backside of Douglas Island, Goldbelt's port plan envisions
support for on-site employee housing as well as serving as an
economic driver for the second Juneau-Douglas crossing and Douglas Bench
Road, which have been city priorities for more than a decade.
Conveniently located directly in major shipping routes alongside
Steven's Passage, the project blueprint would offer an
environmental advantage, reducing time, speed, and fuel
requirements for ships sailing north to Skagway or west to the Gulf of Alaska, making it the most ideal stop-over for
routing to Sitka or Seward.
"We are thankful to Goldbelt Incorporated and to the
Juneau community for the
partnership to bring solution-oriented initiatives, such as this
port, to life," said Preston
Carnahan, AVP West Coast Destinations for Royal Caribbean
Group. "We look forward to continuing to support Juneau as the cruise capital of Alaska by offering award-winning guest
experiences through responsible destination management."
This is the second project in Juneau where Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean
Group have partnered to benefit the community and guest experience.
This recent cruise season, the two companies worked together to
donate wireless internet equipment that provides public access to
high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, greatly reducing the impact on the
residential network.
The agreement between Goldbelt and Royal Caribbean Group has
named the Port of Tomorrow as developer alongside integrated
design-builder Turnagain Marine. The facility is projected for
completion during the 2027 Alaska cruise season.
About Goldbelt
Founded in 1973 and officially incorporated in 1974, Goldbelt Incorporated is the urban corporation
that represents the Juneau area.
Goldbelt is an Alaska Native Corporation with a deep connection to
both our ancestors and our children – we remember the stories and
traditions of the past, while working to build a bright future for
our shareholders in Southeast
Alaska and beyond.
For more information visit Goldbelt.com.
About Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is a vacation industry leader
with a global fleet of 68 ships across its five brands traveling to
approximately 1,000 destinations. With a mission to deliver the
best vacations responsibly, Royal Caribbean Group serves millions
of guests each year through its portfolio of best-in-class brands,
including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and
Silversea; and expanding portfolio of land-based vacation
experiences through Perfect Day at CocoCay and Royal Beach Club
collection. The company also owns 50% of a joint venture that
operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. With a rich history
of innovating, Royal Caribbean Group continually delivers exciting
new products and guest experiences that help shape the future of
leisure travel. Learn more
at royalcaribbeangroup.com or rclinvestor.com.
For more information on Royal Caribbean Group and its brands,
visit royalcaribbeangroup.com.
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SOURCE Goldbelt Inc.
