With the start of the 2026 tourism season looming, Skagway Mayor Orion Hanson had some simple words for residents during the Skagway Borough Assembly’s April 16 meeting: Be kind and smile.
“(It’s a) busy time of year,” Hanson said. “Let’s, hustle and put our best face forward as we approach the season, but with consideration for others because we’re all out there working hard, hustling. And remember, we are a tourism town and treat people, you know, as they’re coming on the vacation of their life. Treat them with kindness, smile, and not just as a number because you know this, this is a a unique opportunity when people come here.”
More than 1.3 million tourists are expected to travel through the Port of Skagway this summer, making it one of the bigger tourist destinations in the country.
“We have now a reputation of being the No. 1 tourist destination, uh, in the world, actually. And I just wanna remind folks, you know, with the hustle and bustle, it’s also a face-to-face and, uh, a level of eye contact and and kindness. It might make all the difference in what people remember about their trip and about Skagway.”
Assemblymember Jay Burnham agreed with Hanson, saying a little effort on the community’s part will go a long way in the season’s success, as well as those yet to come.
“I was listening to you at the beginning of the meeting and you said to put on our best smiles and be nice to the visitors that are going to be coming and visiting us,” he said. “You would be amazed at how many people have told me, I’ve been on a cruise to there, or I’ve been to that town. And so, and they just loved it. I never heard anybody say anything that has come up there on a cruise. And it’s because of the people in Skagway that they remember.”
“And I just, when you mentioned that, it, does make a difference. They tell their friends, they tell their relatives, they go again. So I just wanted to throw that out there.”
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