Na-Dena`, a joint venture between two Alaska Native corporations, is working with Klawock Heenya, the village corporation for the Prince of Wales Island community of about 800 people, to make Klawock a cruise ship destination.
Juneau radio station KINY reported last week of the development plan between Huna Totem Corp., the village corporation for Hoonah, about 200 miles north of Klawock, and Doyon, the Fairbanks-based regional corporation for Alaska’s Interior.
Klawock is on the west side of Prince of Wales, about 70 miles southwest of Wrangell.
The first cruise ships are scheduled for next year.
“Like Huna Totem’s other ports, Klawock will promote Native and local Alaskan workforce and features an Alaskan-only retail program,” Huna Totem announced in a prepared statement. Huna Totem’s Icy Strait Point development attracted almost 300,000 cruise ship visitors to Hoonah in 2019.
The new cruise ship terminal will be built on 16 acres on Klawock Island, connected by bridge to Prince of Wales Island and its road system to other communities and tour options around the island.
Mary Edenshaw, chief operations officer for Klawock Heenya, said the ships will tie up at an existing dock owned by Klawock Heenya. “It was used in the past for exporting logs,” Edenshaw told Juneau public radio station KTOO. “We’re going to convert that into a cruise dock port.”
She said Huna Totem reached out to Klawock Heenya, wanting to add the community as a destination along the lines of Icy Strait Point in Hoonah. Edenshaw said the plan is to start out small, with ships that carry between 500 and 700 passengers.
“Tourism is the opportunity we need,” Klawock Heenya Corp. President Teresa Fairbanks said in a prepared statement. “It’s exciting to now pursue the future for Klawock and our Native shareholders. We know building a tourism-based economy is a process, but we share a similar history of fish canning and timber harvesting with Hoonah.”
Na-Dena` will assist Klawock Heenya to develop a series of attractions and experiences, embracing Klawock’s totem-carving traditions, local wildlife and the area’s sportfishing industry, according to the KINY report.
“Our vision of tourism, balanced with Alaska’s cruise industry, creates meaning for travelers and our Native communities,” said Russell Dick, Huna Totem president. “Huna Totem’s Icy Strait Point incorporates elements of who we are as Alaska Native people, leaving travelers with a better understanding of our culture and the importance of our lands.”
Reader Comments(0)