USA TODAY: Snowbirds flocking to the Gulf Coast
Tourism officials in the areas of the Gulf Coast hit hardest by spring’s BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill say winter tourism appears to be normal or better as snowbirds flock to the region in numbers approaching those of previous years. The return of those mostly older visitors from northern climates is “vital” to a region that banks on tourism dollars and was battered in the summer by dwindling numbers of visitors, says Linda Whitlock of the Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce in Baldwin County, Ala. The snowbird season heats up on the Alabama and Florida Panhandle coasts in late December and early January, says Karen Harrell, who publishes Snowbirds Gulf Coast. ”The season appears to be on track to equal or even be better than last season,” she says. The snowbirds, she says, “closely followed news of the oil spill” through news media and friends. “Some are true part-time residents and spend up to six months here,” Harrell says. Snowbirds, or “winter guests,” are looking to get away from the snow and ice, Harrell says. Gulf Shores saw about a 33% decline in tourism-related income in the summer because of the oil disaster, Mayor Robert Craft says. “This past summer was expected to be the beginning of the good times,” he says. “Everything pointed to people wanting to travel again after the tough economic conditions of 2008 and 2009. Our first-quarter totals for this year were up about 12% over 2009. … We were going into the spring and summer season with a great deal of momentum. Then the spill happened.”
Betty and Marv Hastings of Ankeny, Iowa, plan to travel to Orange Beach, Ala., this year just as they have since 2003. They direct the Iowa Snowbirds Club, which has 175 to 200 members. “We’re looking forward to returning,” Betty Hastings says. “It’s a great area. We followed the news of the oil spill, of course. We’ve had friends go down on shorter trips, and they tell us everything is cleaned up and back to normal.” Aside from spending money, snowbirds will become ambassadors for the region when they return home, says Craft, the Gulf Shores mayor. www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com
For the complete article please see http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-12-10-snowbirds10_ST_N.htm.
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Posted: December 15th, 2010 under Bed and Breakfast News.