Alaska's Nome Is So Hot Right Now

October 21, 2009 at 12:56 PM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

We know someone whose biggest travel dream is to visit the Alaskan town of Skagway while on a cruise along the Alaskan coast. It's hardly unattainable, with cruise ships hitting up Skagway and other towns like Sitka and Ketchikan all through the summer. But what to do once you've done the typical Alaskan cruise? Thanks to melting of the polar ice caps—or rather not, since this is a very bad thing, environment-wise—cruise ships are discovering ports further north than every before. Now you can add the Bering Sea town of Nome to your must-see in Alaska list.

The LA Times drives home exactly what a big deal it is for big ships to be calling in Nome: "More than 500 roadless miles from Anchorage, rugged tundra and frigid Bering Sea waters have a way of discouraging visitors." But after Nome spent $90 million dollars renovating their port to accommodate big ships, the temptation of venturing beyond the tried-and-true Alaskan itinerary is majorly attracting tourists.

The first megaship to call was the World of ResidenSea, a condo ship that perpetually circumnavigates the globe, and thus needs new ports to keep things fresh. The LA Times notes that in this town of only 9,300 residents, a massive increase in cruise passenger traffic would mean huge tourism revenues and a surge of new development. But it's a Catch-22: "conservationists fear that widespread shipping in the Arctic could triple the region's ozone pollution and accelerate the melting of the ice, which supports the walrus, seals and polar bears on which native Alaskans depend."

So do you book a cruise to visit Nome, which increases opportunities for the town and gets you to a place which otherwise might be out of reach for you? Or do you stand side-by-side with the eco-travel activists who see the increase of tourism and commerce further north as a factor contributing to the melting of the polar ice caps? Although we admit to being extremely tempted by Nome, we've got to lean to the green travel side so that we ensure that the wonderland of Nome and the arctic circle remains preserved and unpolluted for the future.

Related Stories:
· Arctic Shipping [SFGate/LA Times]
· Alaska Travel [Jaunted]
· Cruise Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: alan v.]

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