Just saw on the Fairbanks Daily News Miner's Twitter feed that Norwegian Cruise Lines announced it will be taking its last ship out of Alaska in 2010 to put it in more profitable European waters.

The cruise line cited hostile Alaska tax legislation as the reason. This may be a part of it, but with a down economy and an Alaska cruise market that has essentially been flat despite worldwide growth, it is becoming a more challenging environment for cruise lines to operate up in Alaska.

Almost two thirds of visitors to Alaska typically travel via cruise ship. Many repeat visitors indicate that their first Alaska travel experience was via cruise. If this turns into a trend, it could dramatically impact the size and composition of the Alaska tourism market.

Are you involved in Alaska tourism? What do you feel is the impact of the NCL decision? Important? Not so important? Please share!