I was driving to work today and there is speculation that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will reach Florida beaches within a couple of days. As you might imagine, there are experts from all over the country predicting what effects the oil spill will have on Florida tourism revenue. Now I am not claiming to be an expert and while I think that the Florida tourism as a whole will take a hit this summer due to this unfortunate event, I do think Orlando tourism might have something to gain. Reasoning for my thinking? Simple, many visitors might actually cancel their trip to the beaches and come inland to Orlando where Disney is our major draw, couple this with the fact that if tourism falls off too much the state and other agencies will start a big time advertising plan.
If you have a vacation planned to one of the nearby beaches this summer, it might not hurt you to put a contingency plan in place just in case the oil spill gets much worse. Keep in mind, there are quite a few really nice beaches within an hour to an hour and a half drive of Orlando.
Tags: Florida tourism, oil spill
