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Tourism disaster? Maybe not
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, CRYSTAL RIVER -- The terrorist attacks certainly hurt Florida tourism. Time will tell how badly Citrus suffers. But thanks to a unique and unlikely combination of timing, positioning, marketing, and natural and commercial resources, Citrus County's hospitality industry might be relatively well positioned to weather a difficult economic wave. The immediate statewide effects of Sept. 11 have been devastating. People are canceling Florida vacations and cruises, either afraid to fly or leery of traveling in general. Earlier this month, during a meeting at Amelia Island, Gov. Jeb Bush heard desperate tourism leaders speak of heavy financial losses, layoffs, maybe even business closings. "It was dismal," said Mary Craven, the county's tourism development manager, who attended the conference. Citrus County's visitor numbers typically are low in September. The big season here is winter, when people flock to see the manatees. To make matters worse, Tropical Storm Gabrielle hit just three days after the terrorist attacks. Sept. 11 through 14 "were certainly very, very low days for us," said Tom Linley, manager of the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park."September is traditionally the lowest month of the year." In that respect, timing worked in Citrus' favor. The general tourism slowdown certainly won't help, but it didn't come during prime season, either. The hospitality industry is poised to get some September/October help from a most unlikely source: Florida Power. The utility shut down its nuclear reactor Saturday for a monthlong refueling and maintenance operation. The project will bring 900 temporary workers to the region. Many will need a place to stay and eat while they are here. "Our rooms are all packed out," reported Harold Mack of Hayes Motel near the Crystal River Mall on U.S. 19. Main Street Gym in downtown Crystal River said about 10 contract workers have already signed up for the month. Florida Power has provided similar shots in the arm before. In 1997, for example, the plant was having problems and dozens of workers came to town and stayed long periods. Even if that helps some hotels and restaurants make it through September and October, what about the winter season? Manatees are the prime visitor magnets, the proverbial geese that lay the golden eggs for the hospitality industry, particularly in west Citrus. This is the only place in the United States where man and manatee may comingle. People come from all over the United States and overseas to frolic with the gentle giants. Winter is prime time for manatees. That's when they flee the cold Gulf of Mexico and seek warmer, spring-fed waters like the Crystal River. Most years, between November and February, the rivers would be full of manatees, and the dive shop boats -- and the hotel rooms and the restaurants -- would be full of people who have come to see them. And this year? "I anticipate a slight decrease in the numbers, but only slight," Craven said. Manatees still are a big draw, after all. And again, timing might be on Citrus County's side. If the attacks had occurred during manatee season, recovery would have been difficult and perhaps impossible. But prime manatee season is just far enough into the future. People are leery now, less than one month after the attacks. They might feel better about boarding a jetliner -- and in need of a vacation -- come December or January. The air traffic point is important, because some of the manatee-related visitors travel great distances to get here. At Birds Underwater, which runs three large boats packed with visitors during the winter season, one-third of the customers come from overseas. Marty Senetra, manager of Birds, didn't share Craven's optimism. He said business could be down as much as 30 percent. Since Sept. 11, "I'm getting as many cancellations as I am getting people booking" for the winter season, Senetra said. Many cancellations come from domestic clients who fear flying. Positioning is another key factor in Citrus' ability to escape major damage, tourism experts said. Orlando, Jacksonville and other big markets are worried that large groups will cancel trips and conventions. Citrus does not rely on large groups or conventions, so it has none to lose. Theme parks worry about declining attendance and the unspoken worry that visitors don't want to be in a large place that might be considered a terrorist target. Citrus has no such large places for people to avoid. People come here to fish or boat in the rivers and gulf, play golf, cycle on the Withlacoochee State Trail and visit historic places, such as the old courthouse. Plus, Citrus doesn't depend too much on air travel. "We are primarily a drive-to destination," said Bob Crowley, the Citrus Hills advertising executive who helps Craven design the county's tourism advertising. That's where the marketing advantage comes in. Some hotels and tourist spots are regearing their advertising campaigns and cooking up new deals designed to generate traffic. In Citrus, the Tourist Development Council already directs a healthy share of its print advertising budget toward in-state media and a vacation guide Florida produces specifically for in-state travelers. Even the successful travel writer program, through which a public relations agency arranges for journalists to prepare and publish favorable travel articles, has resulted in many in-state hits. "That's been our plan for (two) or three years," Crowley said. The County Commission appoints the Tourist Development Council members. Their primary job is to attract more visitors. To do so, they use proceeds from the tourist tax, a 2 percent levy on short-term accommodations such as hotels. Craven and Crowley met last week to determine how, if at all, they should alter marketing plans in the near future. Craven also was busy drafting a letter to the people who run Citrus County's hotels and tourist spots. The message, she said, would be that now, more than ever, "we need to band together to make sure we are providing visitors with an exceptional experience." It's also time to recognize how newly attractive Citrus will be as a vacation spot for the in-state crowd. People might prefer driving to flying and low-key holidays to busy ones. Last week, Craven fielded calls from three parties that canceled vacation plans and were looking to stay in the Sunshine State. "I think more people will be traveling by car close to home" in the wake of the attacks, Linley said. "I don't think in the long run we'll be substantially impacted at all. Homosassa and the state parks in general are offering the experience (that) people are going to want to have." "If we play our cards right . . . we could put a whole promotional campaign out there about discovering your own backyard," said Carol Lee Wallis, who recently left a marketing post at the Homosassa Riverside Resort to start her own tourism consulting business, Team Spirit. "This is our opportunity." Citrus people who work in tourist-related businesses have an obvious stake in the outcome. "In August and September, you're happy to break even. So if you go through a bad winter, you won't have the cash reserve to make it through the summer," said Senetra from Birds. But tourism leaders are hoping it won't come to that. "We can really come out of this on top," said Susan Davis, chairwoman of the county's Eco-Tourism Committee. - Staff writers Barb Behrendt and Alex Leary contributed to this report.
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