Welcome to Nome

This coming Sunday marks the second arrival of the mega cruise liner Crystal Serenity to Nome, after last year’s ‘maiden voyage’ that took the ship from Anchorage via Nome, through the Northwest Passage to its destination New York City.
Nomeites have been preparing for this second visit by organizing the local Berry Festival to coincide with the cruise liner’s arrival and by planting pretty flowers in planters to make Nome look nice.
In all the excitement over the Crystal Serenity, we should not forget, though, that other cruise liners also stop in Nome and bring visitors to the region.
We also should not forget that other tourists, birders, bucket-list tourists and people who come to search for their family’s history in Nome are part of the fabric of travelers finding their way to Nome. All should be welcomed with equal enthusiasm.
We hope that all have a wonderful time here, that commerce shall thrive and that those who spent hours beading, sewing and crafting arts to sell at the Berry Festival are rewarded with eager buyers.
We also hope that the increased tourism vessel traffic will be safe and well-thought out with contingency plans in case things go wrong.
Last year’s Serenity voyage went off without a hitch, and we hope for the same result this year.
As expressed by communities up and down our coastline, a vessel disaster or oil spill from a large vessel is one of the worst fears. Tourism on one hand has the promise to be a boon for the region and its artists and carvers, but is also must be conducted safely. —D.H.—