On Thursday, Florida hoteliers and state officials moved to combat misinformation regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, reports hotelnewsnow.com.
The misinformation stems from some news outlets indicating that beaches along the Florida Panhandle are closed and there is oil on them as a result of the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon Rig two weeks ago off the coast of Louisiana.
Hoteliers would like tourists to know that beaches are open and hotels are operating normally. Beaches would only be closed if oil washes up on shore.
“Our primary concern is the economic impact of the oil spill on our state. It is important to tell the global tourism industry that the greater Northwest Florida is open for business,” said The State of Florida CFO Alex Sink.
A survey released earlier this week by The Knowland Group found that some hoteliers have begun receiving cancellations. Of the 50 hotels surveyed, 42 percent said that the oil spill is affecting their ability to make new bookings.
Some businesses in Florida’s Panhandle–motel owners, charter fishing captains and restaurateurs–have reported a bump in cancellations brought on by fears the oil spill will make landfall. But they are calling on tourists to keep their vacation plans intact as they are still open for business.
The good news is though that Florida has 1,200 miles of coastline, more than enough for all the tourists that desire to vacation in the state.
Meanwhile, in response to the possibility of the oil spill affecting the West Coast of Florida, representatives from BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with several federal, state and local agencies have officially established the incident command post at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at 100 Eighth Avenue S.E., in St. Petersburg.
