Innovative program smoothes the way for Juneau residents and visitors

January 1, 1970


The TBMP program is a cooperative effort that has helped the visitor industry in Juneau while addressing key community concerns in a constructive manner.

Juneau's Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) is a sterling example of the benefits of industry and local government working together, thanks in great part to Kirby Day from Princess, who has worked so hard to bring divergent interests together and find solutions to sometimes challenging issues.

Since its implementation 12 years ago, resident and visitor satisfaction levels have annually increased even though the number of cruise visitors has almost doubled.

"TBMP has become the standard that other communities look to for improving community relations," noted John Binkley, President, Alaska Cruise Association. "The program uses a collaborative process to reduce tensions caused by congestion, noise and conflicts with residents' use of recreational areas. It's also a testament to folks like Kirby who live in the community and work so hard to make sure our visitors do not negatively impact our residents."

The program is a cooperative effort of Juneau cruise lines, tour operators, transportation providers and the City and Borough of Juneau. It works to minimize the impacts of tourism in a manner that addresses both resident and industry concerns and enhances the visitor experience. The program is entirely voluntary but this past season some 70 companies and more than 1,500 Juneau visitor industry employees participated in it.

TBMP tracks results through a tourism hotline for Juneau residents and independent visitor surveys. The hotline received 71 complaints this past season versus 248 complaints in 2000, and the last visitor survey found 97 percent of cruise passengers "satisfied" with their Juneau experience.

The TBMP program establishes neighborhood-specific guidelines to address key community concerns in a constructive and pro-active manner. The TBMP Guidelines encourage local tourism businesses and their employees to conduct their operations in a responsible and neighborhood-sensitive manner.

"Thanks to the efforts of the industry, we have been able to turn the corner in Juneau. And while there remains room for improvement, we truly have come a long ways since the mid-1990s," Binkley said.