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age and that definitely dealt a blow

to local tourism. Then in 2 005,
t h e re wa s H u r r i c a n e D e n n i s . I n
2008, the Great Recession and now,
in 2010, the oil spill."

"Normally July is a
crazy month for us.
This year, on some
weekends, Gulf Shores
looks like a ghost
town."
Big Play Family Fun Center
Sanfilippo said his business is
"heavily dependent on tourism" and
the biggest impact of the oil spill on
his business has been the lack of
tourists in Pensacola Beach. He went
on to say that business was down 50
percent for the summer and 35 per-
cent overall.
"May was off. In June, there were
a lot less tourists. July has been a
continuation of June," said Sanfilip-
po. We've filed a claim with BP to
Brandon Wooldridge, Manager of Big Play
pay for the losses," he added. Family Fun Center
On July 27, President and CEO of
the U.S. Travel Association in Wash-
ington, Roger Dow, announced an
estimate in written testimony on the
impact of the spill on tourism.
According to Dow, tourism gener-
ates $9 4 billion in revenues for
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and
Florida. Though BP has agreed to pay
all "legitimate" claims, Dow predicts
that the estimated loss exceeds the
amount BP has agreed to put into an
escrow account to pay spill victims.
It's difficult to say what will hap-
pen next for FECs along the Gulf
Coast, but in an area prone to disas-
ter and recovery, officials, business
owners, and citizens will likely make
every effort to restore the suffering
tourism industry. ▲
Richard Sanfilippo,
Owner of Sam's Fun City

PLAY METER 64 SEPTEMBER 2010