especially looked pristine, and I was treated to a spectacular sunrise walk near the Gulf State Pier as a reward for rising before dawn. My conversations with local folks in the fishing, restaurant, tourism and real estate industries all had the same tenor – a cautious optimism that the worst of the oil spill nightmare is in the past, and that better days are ahead for 2011. And quite a nightmare it has been for these folks. Last year and earlier this year, it was not uncommon to see signs stating: “Closed due to oil spill” outside businesses in and around the tourist centers of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Last year tourist spending was down almost $100 million in these areas, compared to 2009 levels. Mike Foster, vice president for the Gulf ShoresOrange Beach tourism agency, says $144 million was spent in the Baldwin County beach communities of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan in 2010. That’s down from $241 million in 2009, the year before the spill. Spending figures include money spent at hotels, restaurant and beach-related businesses like souvenir shops. The challenge for businesses here has been like fighting a war on two simultaneous fronts: damage from the oil spill itself, and damage from public perception that everything on the coast is tainted by the spill. The first front – the physical effects of the oil spill
– has been publicized with vigor in the 24-hour-a-day world media news cycles. Now, as the physical and visible effects have diminished with time, the challenge is moving to the second front: to inform the public that they can come to a clean beach, have a great time and enjoy eating seafood with confidence. In this battle for public perception, one group of local leaders has been proactive. On June 2, 2010, the Coastal Resiliency Coalition was formed by the Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce as a “leadership task force dedicated to help local Gulf Coast businesses and individuals…” The coalition’s goal is to provide tool and resources that will inspire and promote economic resiliency in the community. The group meets twice weekly in “The War Room” at a Gulf Shores real estate office to strategize and plan specific events aimed at improving the business climate for the area. Bob Higgins, vice president of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, tells me the group’s efforts have resulted in a more close-knit business community. “We’re always looking for silver linings,” he explains, “like before the spill the restaurant owners were always so busy they never had time to sit down at a meeting like this.” Now he says business leaders in
A clean beach, a great time and safe seafood
The Coastal Resiliency Coalition meets twice weekly at a local real estate office
Alabama Living | APRIL 2011 |
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