The Poor Economy's Impact on Gulf Coast Tourism

Gulf Islands Waterpark, Gulfport

Labor Day marks the official end of the summer tourism season on the Gulf Coast. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports on how this season faired given the nationwide recession.

Last year on Labor Day the Mississippi Gulf Coast was in the middle of being pummeled by Hurricane Gustav, which effectively shut down the tourism industry on one of the biggest weekends of the year. The Coast has escaped hurricanes so far this season, but this year the tourism industry has had to deal with a dismal economy.

“We’re overlooking the wave pool here, behind us is the waterfall that is crashing into the lazy river.”

Mark Moore is general manager of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, one of the Coast’s biggest drive in attractions. He’s standing next to one of the largest waterslides in the park getting ready for the Labor Day rush. Moore says this season they have definitely been impacted by the poor economy,

“There’s definitely acknowledgement of an economic downturn however by and large people are still coming out. They are here to play, to have a good time. They have not given up on that idea.”

But Moore says while the crowds are still coming, they aren’t spending as much money. They are also making more day trips says Nicole Learson, marketing director for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, and that has put hotel occupancy down as much as 30 percent in the last few months,

"Our numbers are definitely down but we are trying to creatively come up with promotions that will get folks here as spite of. We know that they are traveling, they are just staying closer to home and not spending as much money."

Those promotions include 3 for 2 night deals in hotel rooms, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing campaigns. But Learson says things are much better than they expected,

“The numbers are down but there are a lot better now than they were at the beginning even at the beginning f the year, looking six months back. So I think we have turned the corner and things are looking up.”

The real toll the poor economy has taken on the tourism season on the Coast will be made clear after the Labor Day weekend numbers come in.