What impact is the Gulf oil spill having on hotels near Pensacola Beach?
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M$2 Answers
I live 25 minutes north of Bayou La Batre, Alabama. They call it the Seafood Capital of the World.
(there's one in every state) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayou_La_Batre,_Alabama
I went last spring to the Bessing of the Fleets, which starts off the shrimp season. Last year was the first year of having a decent sized fleet of boats up and running since Hurricane Kartina.
The entire fishing village was wiped away with 16 foot surges... and now this.
People here are working together with plans and ideas to keep the oil from seeping into Mobile Bay. It's due to hit any day now. Nothing's fool proof. My backyard ends at Dog River which drains into Mobile Bay.
Pensacola Beach is just an hour East of here. I drove there last week. The sand is white like cocaine. If it weren't for heat and humidity, those small sand dunes would look like snow out of the corner of my eye.
That beach community and all the many others along the entire Gulf Coast (from Florida to Louisiana) will be greatly affected by this oil spill. They rely on the tourist dollar and the season is just ramping up. The other non-beach communities rely on the fishing trade and that's already been called off.
I feel like I'm stuck inside a movie theatre watching a horror flick I detest. The plot is thickening and the music is building... I just don't know how it's going to end, and I can't get up in the projection booth to shut it off.
As of today, Pensacola Beach is not closed... but everyone's down by the water looking out on the horizon... waiting.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-441030
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Thanks for the input. I agree many of the businesses may still be in recovery mode from Ivan. I hope they manage to keep this off shore.
Here is a reference to damage from previous blowouts to tourism in their respective areas. The Mexican one did a lot of damage to the Texas coast's tourism.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/oct/05/barney-bishop/offshore-oil-drilling-has-cost-tourism-industry-st/
Thanks Bunny, the horror flick is a perfect description I think. I was in Navarre following Ivan, Dennis, and Katrina and spent time in Gautier and Gulfport helping after Katrina. It is sad to think the area is going to take another hit. I hope it is possible to stop it but I imagine even the damage of what it has done so far and the thoughts of vacationers for the next few weeks wondering if it will impact their plans could be enough to hurt the economy.