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Oct 14, 2008 5:39 pm US/Eastern
South Florida Fights To Keep European Tourists
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
South Florida tourism officials are keeping a close eye on the rocky international economy. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are both seeing record numbers of European visitors. That's why both counties have been increasing marketing in Europe and Latin America.
Right now, U.S. vacations are a bargain for European travelers because of the weak dollar. The concern now, however, is that a tough European economy could cause vacationers to stay closer to home.
"It's kind of a universal hell," said Nikki Grossman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitor and Convention Bureau. "You're playing a deck of cards and you don't know what the card value is."
Grossman does anticipate continued strength from the European markets for at least the next year and a half, while the euro remains strong.
But there are signs that international visitors are watching their money more closely.
Pablo Bordogna and his wife Paula are visiting Fort Lauderdale from Argentina. They're closely watching what's happening on Wall Street and back home.
"We try to spend less," Pablo told
CBS4's Ted Scouten.
Beachside stores notice tourists aren't spending like they used to. "It's not like before, no, absolutely not," notices Merit Badon of the New Addition store on Fort Lauderdale Beach. She sees a lot of Europeans in her T-shirt store, but says they are more careful with their money.
To further entice cost conscious travelers, many hotels, restaurants and spas are offering on line deals.
www.sunny.org and
www.miamiandbeaches.com/Index.asp are a couple of good websites to check out.
Tourism officials say "there are no fire sales," but they are watching to see if they'll have to offer special bargains, once high season arrives.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Business/Economy
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