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Sunday 05.02.2012

A tough year ahead for cruises in Alaska

The global economic downturn has cruise lines discounting heavily to fill the ships that bring the majority of visitors to Alaska.

The downturn in the global economy is being felt in Southeast Alaska, a region of the state that has come to expect lots of summer visitors.

After years of growth in the tourism industry, the outlook for the 2009 season is uncertain. The global economic downturn has cruise lines discounting heavily to fill the ships that bring the majority of visitors to Alaska.

And no one knows how much money those passengers will spend once they get here.

The gloomy forecast for Southeast mirrored predictions for Southcentral widely voiced at The Great Alaska Sportsman Show in Anchorage this past week. The convention brings together Alaska vendors, exhibitors and experts focused on fishing, hunting, hiking, camping and tourism for the coming season.

The verdict in Southeast and Southcentral: Bookings are down for travelers visiting Alaska.

Industry representatives say they hope deep discounts convince people still undecided about spending vacation money to decide soon, and in Alaska's favor.

Otherwise, the 2009 season might be a struggle for many of the visitor-related businesses in Southeast and the rest of the state.

Convincing consumers to take a cruise has meant discounting fares, often substantially in the case of Alaska.

Cruise line revenue is down about 40 percent for Alaska, compared with 10 to 15 percent for areas like the Caribbean.

That means there are some great deals on Alaska cruises.

On Friday, prospective cruisers could find $349 seven-night cruises on Holland America Line ships between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seward in May. That's up to 65 percent off the brochure prices, according to the travel Web site, Orbitz.com.

Prices for similar voyages in June on Holland America, Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises ships were advertised Friday on Orbitz for as low as $399.