Santa Barbara's Harbor Commission formed a Cruise Ship Subcommittee to look into how the ships are affecting the area. The committee is responding to concerns from the public and will make some recommendations for change going forward.
Cruise ships have visited Santa Barbara since 2002, but there’s been more of them as COVID restrictions have ended. Angela Rodriguez with the city’s Waterfront department said pent up demand following the pandemic brought about 30 cruise ships to Santa Barbara in 2022, but most years, it’s around 20.
“There was a larger, more busy year in 2022, but in 2023 it started to go back to the status quo,” Rodriguez said.
The local Harbor Commission’s Cruise Ship Subcommittee is developing a set of recommendations for how Santa Barbara can make sure these cruise ships are environmentally-friendly and benefit the city’s economy.
The subcommittee asked community members, business owners and environmental organizations for their input and Rodriguez said three top concerns have emerged from those meetings.
“The two environmental concerns are air quality and water quality, and the social concern is overcrowding,” she said.
Rodriguez said the cruise ship industry does have emissions and discharge regulations, but Santa Barbara will likely add a few more. For example, slower vessel speeds to reduce emissions and prevent whale strikes.
She said the city has always enforced that ships follow the rules.
“We have what’s called a Captain’s Declaration. It’s a letter that we ask the captains to sign before they visit, and it asks that they do not discharge within 12 nautical miles of Santa Barbara,” she said.
The Cruise Ship Subcommittee will present a report to the City Council once it’s finalized. If changes are approved, Rodriguez said they will affect cruise ships coming in 2025 because the schedule is already set for next year.
She said listening to the community and finding solutions is important for Santa Barbara’s tourism economy.
“The Waterfront department does receive revenue from the cruise ships. We receive roughly $500,000 per year, and in addition to that there is the economic benefit of all of the businesses,” Rodriguez said.
Santa Barbara is not the only Central Coast city working to balance environmental concerns and cruise ship tourism. In February, Monterey’s City Council, in a closely divided vote, terminated the city’s cruise ship passenger landing services. The change in policy has halted the city’s cruise ship activity, at least for now.
You can find more information about Santa Barbara's Cruise Ship subcommittee on the Harbor Commission website.
