A Nonprofit Alaskan Cruise Line Turns Tourism Into A Conservation Blueprint

LifestyleTravelA Nonprofit Alaskan Cruise Line Turns Tourism Into A Conservation BlueprintByEmese Maczko,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Emese Maczko is a travel writer covering sustainable travel.Follow AuthorApr 21, 2026, 07:30am EDTM/V Liseron along the coast in Alaska. The Boat CompanyCruising tends to draw skepticism, often associated with giant ships and crowded ports rather than conservation. Yet, the industry can also create lasting ties to a place.A recent World Travel & Tourism Council report, published on April 10, 2026, found that more than 60% of cruise travelers return to destinations they first discovered by a cruise.In southeast Alaska, one nonprofit small cruise ship operator has spent decades working to ensure those first encounters do more than inspire awe or a return visit and turn travelers into advocates for conservation.I interviewed Hunter McIntosh, president and executive director of The Boat Company, and Kate Glover, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, to explore how an environmental law firm working alongside a nonprofit cruise line defends the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.A Small Alaska Cruise Line That Chose Conservation Over ProfitNearly 50 years ago, Michael McIntosh, Hunter’s father, and several leaders of large environmental organizations in the United States, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, took a sailing trip to southeast Alaska to witness the effects of logging on the Tongass National Forest.Clearcuts on a land owned by a corporation, adjacent to the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. David Herasimtschuk for EarthjusticeMORE FOR YOUDuring that trip, these leaders approached Michael and said, “Hey, Michael, you ought to start up a cruise line so that we can bring all of our major donors up here and show them what's happening.”He said yes and founded The Boat Company, as part of the McIntosh Foundation, in 1979."We’ve now evolved," said Hunter...