Chefs, Guns and Money.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Beirne, MikeHein, Kenneth

Tourism Tough Talk

Count on destination marketers to stand their ground when tourism is threatened.

Recently passengers at Miami International Airport were greeted with fliers telling them they better be careful because Floridians are packing--packing heat that is. This was the antigun Brady Campaign's response to a new state law that authorizes individuals to use deadly force if they feel their safety or possessions are at risk.

Visit Florida, the state's public/private tourism marketer, retaliated, activating its network of press contacts to trumpet the fact that Florida's crime rate is at a 32-year low and that the law is similar to that of 25 other states.

While the recent storms have been devastating, the travel pr folks have again spun a silver lining. Sanibel Island and Captiva, Fla., boasted that their shelling beaches offered a richer trove of conchs, whelks, cockles and sand dollars after Hurricane Charlie blew up a fresh batch from the Gulf last year. And, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau is considering pushing snorkeling and scuba diving packages by touting that the waters are clearer because the Atlantic hurricane season has washed out the gunk from its reefs.

Across the pond, Finland put up it dukes months after French president Jacques Chirac and Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi trashed that country's cuisine.

A recent Finnish Tourist Board missive stated the capital city of less than half a million people now has 800 restaurants turning Helsinki into a veritable "Finnish Mini-Gourmopolis."

The country also plans to field a team of 10 super chefs who intend to kick some serious gastronomic tail at the Culinary Olympics 2008 in Germany.

PHOTO (COLOR): Don't mess with Texas (or Florida!): The Sunshine State guns for some better publicity.

~~~~~~~~

By Mike Beirne

Edited by Kenneth Hein