Bar Harbor Town Council dissolves Cruise Ship Committee

The Bar Harbor Town Council this week agreed to dissolve the town's Cruise Ship Committee and form a new, broader Tourism Committee.

Critics of the Cruise Ship Committee had long objected to the way in which its membership lopsidedly represented the interests of port businesses that are the primary beneficiaries of cruise-ship visits, and gave short shrift to residents' concerns about congestion.

According to the Town website, the Cruise Ship Committee has met only once, in January 2023.

Council members agreed - at least in principle - to look into the formation of a new Tourism Committee, and also to review all of the Town's existing committees at their next meeting.

Earlier this year, Town residents voted to cap the number of cruise ship passengers embarking daily to 1000 - a law which is being challenged in federal court.