Klawock’s debut as a cruise destination has been pushed back to 2024, according to an announcement from Klawock Heenya Corp. and its partner Na-Dena, the joint-venture tourism development company formed between Native corporations Hoonah-based Huna Totem Corp. and Fairbanks-based Doyon Ltd.
Klawock Heenya was previously scheduled to welcome Oceania Cruises’ 650-plus-passenger vessel Regatta for four port calls this summer. The first phase plans for the Port of Klawock consist of a temporary welcome center featuring local artists, retail with a cafe, walking trails, history displays, a bus tour departure area, temporary bathrooms and a tendering floating dock connected to the existing Klawock dock, the press release states.
Getting the former log ship dock ready for visitors is a big undertaking. Nick Nickerson, Klawock’s mayor and a member of Klawock Heenya board of directors, told Ketchikan radio station KRBD that the port just isn’t ready.
“We felt it would be better to wait a year. … That way, we have everything lined up, all our ducks are in line, and we would have a better port to present to the tourism industry,” Nickerson said.
“Every decision is being weighed with our shareholders and community in mind,” Klawock Heenya President Sarah Dybdahl said in a prepared announcement. “Postponement of ship calls in 2023 will ensure all aspects of such an endeavor are in order and set the stage for successful launch and operation in 2024.”
The partners are following the same successful formula that Huna Totem used to create the Icy Strait Point development in Hoonah. More than 2 million cruise travelers have visited Icy Strait Point since its 2004 opening, the release states. It is the single largest employer in Hoonah.
“Icy Strait Point became a world-class destination in 18 years,” Huna Totem CEO Russell Dick said last year. The corporation expects to welcome about 450,000 cruise ship passengers this summer.
The development is a big employer in Hoonah, a community of about 850 people at the northern end of Chichagof Island, about 160 miles northwest of Wrangell.
Klawock Heenya’s mission is to preserve its heritage and culture for future generations by promoting health, education and improving the quality of life and the economy for its shareholders.
The corporation said it is “changing direction” from its early investments in the timber and fishing industries, adapting to a “regenerative tourism business model” for the advancement of its community and shareholders, the announcement added.
Klawock is on the outside of Prince of Wales Island, about 70 miles southwest of Wrangell. The development team is promoting the new port as a convenient stopover for Alaska cruises from Seattle.
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