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Nov 20, 2008 7:25 pm US/Eastern
Tourism Industry Expresses Economic Concerns
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ―
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The reopening of the improved Fontainebleau Hotel is keeping Miami glamour and luxury alive.
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South Florida is a tourism hotspot, but there are growing worries about how well our region will weather the economic heat.
During a picture perfect week on local beaches, many people are talking about the telltale signs that may mar that image. You hear it at local hotels, like the Majestic on South Beach. The front desk clerk, Carlos Cabrera, summed it up this way: "We are getting a lot less people from Europe and (stateside) no one wants to drive or book here."
At the Sea Café just up the street, Abby Velez tells a similar story. The waitress is a mother of two and she says her tips are half of what they were this time last year.
Velez told CBS4's Michael Williams, "It is bad. It's the worst year I've experienced here."
Tourism bosses are hearing similar worries.
Rolando Aedo, senior vice-president for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau says, "We are starting to see some anxiety from our hotel community that 2009 will be soft in comparison to 2008."
Granted, 2008 was a relatively strong year, at least through September. Just how much international and domestic tourism will tumble in the months ahead is the big question now. New numbers will be out just after Thanksgiving and they will offer a barometer—up or down-- for the immediate future.
The hope, meanwhile, is to continue targeting the wealthy, upscale visitors who are drawn to the five-star accommodations dotting Miami-Dade and Broward.
Goishia Pipala basked in the sun on South Beach one final day before a trip home to Poland. She told us, "Miami is very expensive but it is still cheaper than Europe."
Tourism promoters vow a major campaign to build on such sentiment. Small wonder, since international visitors make up nearly half of the tourism market in Greater Miami alone.
Moreover, tourism remains the heart of the South Florida economy, a point Aedo illustrated. He said, "One out of five people in this community are employed in hospitality. As goes this industry, so goes the community." It's a sobering reminder about what is at stake for South Floridians trying to find shelter in an economic storm.
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