By KIM CHAPMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

kchapman@gulfshores.com

When tourism numbers were tallied for the 2010 summer season, the numbers were hardly surprising.

 “There is no doubt that our beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach were impacted greatly by the gulf oil spill,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (CVB). “Both the actual oil impact and public perception resulted in a double-digit decline that could have been much more without the synergistic, pro-active efforts of our entire tourism industry on this island.”

Gross lodging revenue for Pleasure Island this summer (May – August 2010) was down approximately 41.5% ($64.3 million) when compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Baldwin County saw a slightly less countywide decrease of 33.2% ($58.3 million).

 “What these numbers do not show is that we also lost the area’s projected growth of approximately 10 to 15 percent,” Malone said.

The Response

“People in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area are a very resilient group, who have faced previous challenges and banded together to come back better than ever,” Malone said. “While we did encounter a new battle this summer, our community - along with the constant support of Lee Sentell and the Alabama Tourism Department – came together in the same manner.”

 Instantly, the CVB responded with a message of honesty that resonated in all communication and advertising. In addition to daily beach videos and an extremely active social media presence, the CVB also utilized BP grant money to purchase gift cards and other inducements that were allocated to lodging partners for the creation of value-filled packages for guests.

Underwriting a successful “Concerts for the Coast” series that featured events both on the beach in Gulf Shores and at The Wharf in Orange Beach resulted in destination awareness at a regional and national level.

 “From Jimmy Buffett, Bon Jovi and Brad Paisley concerts in Gulf Shores to Hank Williams Jr. and Alan Jackson at The Wharf, we were extremely fortunate to partner with these premier artists to create wonderful events that gave guests yet another reason to come to our beach destination,” Malone said.

 Malone added that “more than any concert or ad or gift card, the true reason for our decline not being greater is the extremely loyal guests who have come to our area generation after generation. They have watched their families grow up on our sugar white shores, and they felt an overwhelming urge to do what they could to help. We are humbled beyond words that these loyal guests vacationed with us this year.”

The Future

“No one has a crystal ball for the 2011 tourism outlook,” Malone said. “Data that I would have normally used to make an educated guess is completely skewed by this unprecedented year. There still are so many unknowns, including the major item of public perception. The pace of our recovery from this crisis is a unique situation. Our industry looks forward to the days of traffic filling the roads and longer wait times at restaurants. The tourism industry in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach will rebound better than ever; we just don’t know how long that recovery process will take.”

For more tourism information on this family beach destination, visit www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com. For statistical data on the area, go to www.agccvb.org/stats.