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Industry News

Claims administrator working on criteria to compensate Gulf businesses

Travel Weekly
July 27, 2010
Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, reassured Congress and tourism businesses Tuesday that he intends to have an "equitable" claims process in place within a few weeks to start processing requests for compensation out of the $20 billion escrow fund that BP is establishing for damage claims.

Castor: BP needs to tell tourists beaches are OK

The Tampa Bay Tribune
July 27, 2010
BP should spend more money to help fix Gulf Coast tourism woes instead of dishing out dollars to polish its corporate image, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said this morning.

Locke: More ads needed to boost coast tourism

The Associated Press via AL.com
July 26, 2010
The Gulf Coast tourism business needs more advertising money from BP PLC to bring back visitors staying away because of the oil spill, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Monday.

Florida communities get creative to lure back tourists scared by oil spill

The Washington Post
July 26, 2010
Ten minutes is usually all it takes for Susan Estler to find an inviting beach scene, snap it with her iPhone camera, and blast it to roadside digital billboards from Baltimore to Atlanta.

Visitors centers closed

The Chicago Tribune
July 25, 2010
It's getting harder for both residents and visitors to enjoy Illinois' many attractions, even though the state Office of Tourism's Web site is enjoyillinois.com.

Travel Industry Group Wants BP to Pay $500 Million

USA TODAY
July 23, 2010
The travel industry's main trade group demanded Thursday that BP pay $500 million to mitigate up to $23 billion of losses in tourism spending it anticipates along the Gulf Coast in the next three years.

Get the Most Happiness Out of a Vacation

SmartMoney.com
July 23, 2010
There's good news and bad news about your upcoming vacation. The bad news is that, although your vacation will likely make you happier and probably even healthier, those effects won't last long. The good news is that the benefits of your vacation start sooner than you might think. In fact, you’re likely already happier than usual, unlike co-workers who haven't planned a break.

Gulf Spill Could Cost Region $22.7 Billion in Travel Dollars

CNN
July 22, 2010
Perception is the wild card in how the oil disaster will affect the Gulf coast region's travel revenue, according to analysis conducted by Oxford Economics for the U.S. Travel Association.

Think air travel used to be better? Think again

Houston Chronicle
July 22, 2010
It used to be better, didn't it? Back in the good ol' days of regulation? Not really. As the Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney points out in his Middle Seat column, air travel back in the day was expensive, noisy and prone to crashes.

Obama Family to Lead by Example, Will Vacation on Gulf Coast in August

AOL News
July 22, 2010
Over the weekend of Aug. 14, President Brack Obama and his family will vacation in a symbolic spot: Florida's Gulf Coast.