Creative marketing lures vacationers in tough times
Pain at the pump appears to be having some effect on how many tourists will visit the Emerald Coast this Memorial Day weekend.
With gasoline commonly costing more than $3.80 a gallon in the Southeast this week, attracting visitors takes a strategy. And in some cases, incentives.
ResortQuest, which has about 3,000 condominiums, cottages and private homes in its Northwest Florida, has dispatched reservationists to the Florida Welcome Center on Interstate 10 near Pensacola. They're equipped with portable computers that can book travelers on the fly.
Gasoline cards work pretty well, too. Travelers receive $50 worth of gas for a three-night stay at a ResortQuest property. For seven nights it's $150.
"We did it last year and it wasn't as popular," said Vickie Warner, regional marketing director for ResortQuest. "This year it just took off."
With 2,200 units (85 percent) booked as of Friday, CEO and founder Park Brady's company has 200 more units available this year.
"The weekend is shaping up quite well," Warner said. "Earlier this month it was a little slow."
Darrel Jones, executive director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, said travel costs are affecting some booking patterns.
"We did a little survey and it was about 57 percent booked," Jones said. "Last year it probably was 60-some percent. ... We've been busy with inquiries ... as the years go by, it's closer and closer to the time they show up."
On Okaloosa Island, Best Western Beachfront's report seems to confirm that. There were still 15 out of 100 rooms unrented Friday, but front desk clerk Rachel Ramos expected that to change.
"By tonight we should be full," Ramos said. "We've had a lot of walk-ins the past two years."
At Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, sales coordinator Angie Lee said her 195 rooms were about 95 percent booked.
"We're feeling the effects," Lee said, "but I don't think we're alone."
In South Walton County, general manager Mike Chouri said his 600 rooms Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa were all booked until Monday. And there were only "a few opportunities" then.
He cited surveys his staff conducts with guests before they arrive as one key element.
"People are going to find a way to come here because the beaches are so beautiful," Chouri said. "It's up to us to make their stay special, and that's what we focus on."