CLIA files legal challenge for misuse of cruise taxes
Tuesday, 15 Apr, 2016
0
CLIA has filed a lawsuit against the Alaskan city of Juneau, claiming it has misused money it collects from cruise ship visits.
CLIA and its Alaskan affiliate say Juneau has been using part of the money it receives to fund projects that are not related to the local cruise industry which violates federal rules.
The city charges a $5 entry fee and a $3 port development fee for every cruise passenger and CLIA says it has received $35 million in entry fees from cruise lines in the past four years.
The lawsuit alleges Juneau funnelled money including $10 million for construction of a 50-feet whale sculpture, renovation of the city’s waterfront more than a mile from the cruise port, and upgrades to a private marina that cruise ships and cruise passengers do not have access to.
"The constitution allows you to charge a fee, but it has to be used in conjunction with that vessel. You can’t take the money and use it for city operations," said CLIA Alaska president John Binkley.
Juneau City manager Kim Kiefer, who is named in the lawsuit, said the city is surprised by the legal challenge and believes it has done nothing illegal.
"We have a long history of using these fees in what we believe are legal, responsible ways to be used to manage our tourism industry,"
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt