Data from "Visit Florida," the official tourism marketing agency of the state, over 20.8 million visitors came to Florida in the second quarter, surpassing last year's numbers, even with the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill.
Last year in the same period 20.1 million tourists came to visit the state, 3.5 percent less than this year in the same period.
So even with all the hysteria surrounding alleged losses, it is discovered that fear drove the media reporting, and not the facts, which reveal people understood the BP spill wasn't having an effect on Florida beaches.
Even so, BP provided grants of over $82 million for the state to spend on advertising letting people know beaches were clean and able to be used.
In the first half of 2010, major Florida counties such as Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach all experienced growth in hotel occupancy, while in the case of Miami-Dade, they were even able to increase the room rates as well.
Showing posts with label BP Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BP Florida. Show all posts
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
BP (NYSE:BP) Shrinks South Florida Cleanup as Oil is No-Show
BP (NYSE:BP) had set up a command center in Miami, Florida, on the possibility oil would be caught in underwater currents and spread to the Florida Panhandle and ultimately up to the eastern coast of the United States.
Concerns were based on NOAA scientists saying in a report there was an 80 percent chance oil would eventually reach Miami and head up the eastern coast. That never materialized, and in the latter part of July, Thad Allen, the point man for the government for the crisis, said the chances of it affecting the South Florida or the Keys area was "very,very low."
Right after that NOAA revised their findings in saying oil from the spill wasn't a threat to the area, although they used the term "surface oil" when making the assertion.
The oil threat really never materialized in this region, and the issue was more the perception than anything else which hurt the area.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Lee Schlesinger said "We never had the big oil problems that everybody thinks we had. It's just been a perception that's really hurt the industry."
As a result, the size of the force set up in the area to help coordinate efforts if the oil did come has been reduced from about 120, to approximately 45 at this time.
Concerns were based on NOAA scientists saying in a report there was an 80 percent chance oil would eventually reach Miami and head up the eastern coast. That never materialized, and in the latter part of July, Thad Allen, the point man for the government for the crisis, said the chances of it affecting the South Florida or the Keys area was "very,very low."
Right after that NOAA revised their findings in saying oil from the spill wasn't a threat to the area, although they used the term "surface oil" when making the assertion.
The oil threat really never materialized in this region, and the issue was more the perception than anything else which hurt the area.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Lee Schlesinger said "We never had the big oil problems that everybody thinks we had. It's just been a perception that's really hurt the industry."
As a result, the size of the force set up in the area to help coordinate efforts if the oil did come has been reduced from about 120, to approximately 45 at this time.
Friday, August 6, 2010
BP (NYSE:BP) Oil Spill Emergency Response Lowered to Level 2 by Florida
The Florida State Emergency Operations Center lowered its emergency response to a Level 2 concerning the BP oil spill and how it has affected the coastlines of the state, and what threat remains from it.
David Halstead, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management gave this as his reasoning, “Due to the success of the static kill operation and the progress toward a permanent well-kill, the threat of heavy impact to the state of Florida is significantly reduced. While the State Emergency Operations Center has transitioned to a Level 2, the State Emergency Response Team remains focused on protecting Florida’s businesses, residents, visitors, and communities from any oil remaining in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The ability of the Gulf of Mexico to heal itself has caught a lot of observers off guard, and it has changed the way organizations and institutions like the Florida Division of Emergency Management view the overall threat related to the oil leaking into the Gulf.
That's not to say there's not threat left, as they'll continue to go where needed when oil is discovered along the coastlines of Florida.
David Halstead, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management gave this as his reasoning, “Due to the success of the static kill operation and the progress toward a permanent well-kill, the threat of heavy impact to the state of Florida is significantly reduced. While the State Emergency Operations Center has transitioned to a Level 2, the State Emergency Response Team remains focused on protecting Florida’s businesses, residents, visitors, and communities from any oil remaining in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The ability of the Gulf of Mexico to heal itself has caught a lot of observers off guard, and it has changed the way organizations and institutions like the Florida Division of Emergency Management view the overall threat related to the oil leaking into the Gulf.
That's not to say there's not threat left, as they'll continue to go where needed when oil is discovered along the coastlines of Florida.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)