Tourism authorities on Florida’s Gulf Coast are looking for a way to recover the sector, after the devastation left by hurricanes Helene and Milton, which hit almost together between the end of September and the beginning of October.
Officials believe one way concerned people can help the area recover is by visiting as tourists, even though some beaches are still closed to the public and there is still debris piled up next to the streets.
The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Area Tourism Promotion Agency said in a news release that 80% of the area’s hotels and businesses are open to the public, even as cleanup and recovery continues.
“Many people have asked, ‘How can I help?’ and the answer is this: Come visit us and support our local businesses when they need you most,” Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said Friday in the news release. “You can also help with beach cleanups, attend fundraising events and donate,” he added.
In Clearwater, officials say the beach is open. They planned to announce this Tuesday that lifeguards and normal beach operations are returning, city spokeswoman Joelle Wiley Castelli said.
Debris after Hurricane Helene, in early October, on Treasure Island, Florida. Photo: BLOOMBERG
“People are starting to get out and into the water again and it looks like about half of the businesses and half of the parking lots are open again,” Castelli said Monday in an email message.
Millions of dollars to recover visitors
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region last month, and Milton made landfall earlier this month as a Category 3 hurricane on a barrier island in Sarasota County.
The state’s tourism promotion agency says it plans to spend 5.7 million dollars to promote Florida as a tourist destination after the hurricanes.
The first phase of the campaign will focus on social media promotion in areas of the state that were not as affected by the storms, such as Pensacola, Panama City Beach and Islamorada in the Florida Keys.
The second phase will spend $3 million to promote areas impacted by the storms but that have already recovered, such as Naples and Fort Myers.
The final phase will offer direct marketing assistance to the most affected counties by storms in the St. Petersburg and Sarasota areas, and to rural areas of the Panhandle, according to Visit Florida.
Fuente: The Associated Press
