Tourism Best program responsible
for crossing guards and new sidewalk
If you've driven on South Franklin Street lately you've likely seen crossing guards in brightly
colored rain gear at key locations in the heart of the business district. Tasked with
maintaining the safe and orderly flow of traffic and discouraging pedestrians from
jaywalking, the crossing guards are a good example of the visitor industry's commitment to
minimizing the negative effects of tourism and making the summer experience more
enjoyable for visitors and residents alike. This year, the crossing guard program is being
administrated jointly by the Tourism Best Management Practices program and the Juneau
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The new sidewalk on South Franklin Street was another Tourism Best initiative aimed at
easing congestion and improving the flow of pedestrian traffic in that busy corridor.
The costs of both the crossing guard program and the new sidewalk are fully paid by cruise
ship passenger fees.
Now in its 10th year in Juneau, Tourism Best features a proactive approach to managing
the effects of tourism in a manner that addresses both resident and industry concerns, and
enhances our visitors' experience in the capital. The program has a Web site where you
can learn about the program and its participants and read the revised guidelines for 2006.
These include new guidelines to proactively address marine tour operations dealing with
whale watching.
Program participants - some 70 tourism businesses and more than 1,600 employees -
commit themselves to the principles of responsible and sensitive tour operations by signing
on to these voluntary guidelines every year at the beginning of the summer tourist season.
The goal is to protect the visitors' experience and the quality of life of Juneau residents
without the expense of excessive regulation.
The program cultivates a sense of personal responsibility and accountability among the
tourism work force by asking every owner, manager and employee to sign on to the
guidelines. And every winter, tourism businesses devote many hours to evaluate their
efforts, the community response and overall success. One of the best tools we have to
evaluate our success is the Tourism Hotline, (907) 586-6774, and we urge residents who
notice what they believe to be an infraction to call the hotline and register a concern.
While we are the first to say that it will never be possible to address every negative effect
that occurs in the course of a summer season, Tourism Best has been a cost-effective,
proven strategy to deal with the effects that operators can indeed address directly as they
occur throughout the season.
And even though our 2006 visitor season will likely not exhibit the robust growth of previous
seasons, even with the projected 2 percent increase in visitation, we fully understand how
important it is to remain on good terms with our neighbors so Juneau will continue to
welcome visitors to our community.
On behalf of all of the program participants and the 20 percent of Juneau's work force
employed in the visitor industry, I thank the community for its patience and continued
support. We are grateful for the opportunity to share Juneau with visitors and look forward to
a wonderful Juneau summer.
• Kirby Day is the director of shore operations for the Alaska region of Princess
Cruises and Tours.
| The Tourism Best Management Practices program is an outcome of resident and industry dialogue concerning the impacts associated with increased visitation. Currently, 60 tour operators and 1,100 employees voluntarily implement practices designed to reduce congestion, noise, and conflicts with residents' use of recreational areas. For their part, residents can contact a tourism hotline to report violations, ask questions, or raise concerns. The program has been successful, based on a recent community survey showing that the number of residents who believe that tourism has an overall positive impact grew from 29 percent in 1998 to 40 percent in 2002. The program is an organized effort to reduce negative impacts, as well as an example of an industry trying its best to be a good neighbor. - Guide to Best Practices in Tourism and Destination Management |
| What University of South Carolina's Institute of Tourism Research says about TBMP |
| My turn: Keeping tourists, residents happy -from the Juneau Empire May 19, 2006 |
| Created and Maintained by Rick Sypeck |
