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Chamber reports surge in visitor‑center traffic; city updates terminal and cargo schedule
Summary
The Chamber said its DMO contract was renewed and visitor‑center visits rose ~86% year over year; staff reported a 7,000‑ton barge arriving and a MV Kak Island shipment delayed to March 10, and said terminal building construction is underway with roofing and dock demolition in progress.
The Chamber of Commerce told the commission its destination marketing contract was renewed for three years and the organization will expand visitor‑guide printing to 45,000 copies after a sharp rise in center visits.
The Chamber representative said the higher contract funding will support seven‑day staffing and visitor services on cruise days, and that the chamber will print an additional 5,000 guides this year. “We’re printing 5,000 more,” the representative said, describing a plan that increases the total run to 45,000 copies to supply the airport and statewide visitor centers.
City staff updated the commission on harbor operations and construction. The city manager reported that the deputy harbor master attended the Seattle boat show to solicit port and harbor partners; staff also said a cargo barge carrying roughly 7,000 tons of builder supplies is scheduled to arrive and that the MV Kak Island shipment (industrial salts related to fracking sand) has been pushed back to March 10. The manager described steady progress on the terminal building—roofing going up on the luggage barn and multiple work barges on site while dock demolition continues.
Why it matters: cruise and cargo activity drive harbor revenues, visitor services workload and local commerce. Chamber leaders noted that 2026’s schedule includes more ships overall but fewer cruise ship days (63 cruise ship days in the published 2026 schedule versus 72 in 2025), and staff said passenger counts vary by ship size and itinerary.
The chamber also reported operational upgrades to the visitor center: increased staffing on cruise days, a new print run for maps and visitor guides, restroom and electrical repairs at the visitor center building, and plans to update signage and the visitor‑center web presence.
Next steps: the commission heard the reports and will use the visitor and cruise‑schedule information to inform harbor planning and uplands design decisions; staff said more terminal and construction schedule details will be provided as the project advances.
