The Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council is hoping to mimic the success of Gulf Shores following the free Jimmy Buffet concert July 11.

The Alabama city was once a hot-spot for visitors, but after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon explosion that has tainted the Gulf of Mexico with millions of crude oil, Gulf Shores has seen an extreme drop in tourism, the area's main economic industry.

The TDC recently learned it had been approved for the remaining $500,000 of the $1 million requested to market Santa Rosa County to tourists. The funds come from the $25 million tourism grant BP gave to Visit Florida in May to boost the tourism industry along Florida's Gulf Coast.

 

For more on this story, see the July 22 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.