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National Travel and Tourism Week 2010
VisitGainesville celebrated another successful National Travel and Tourism Week! Click here for news and pictures from the week's festivities.
Although tourism professionals took time to celebrate and recognize industry partners during National Travel and Tourism Week, an underlying concern about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was felt by all. Below please find information on the oil spill, contact information for relief efforts, and resources for your visitors.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that started April 20th. The spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig, which then sank killing 11workers and injuring another 17.
Currently there may be as much as 1,000,000 gallons of light crude pumping from the ocean bottom below the Deepwater Horizon rig every day. Accident experts warn that the Gulf's powerful Loop Current could push this major spill of oil around the entire state of Florida.
VisitGainesville and our area’s tourism partners are very concerned about this disaster and would like to get the word out about what can be done. Overall, the oil spill's progression is a game of chance and wherever it hits people will need to respond. There are 2 phone numbers and one website we know of that gives information on how to volunteer for clean-up.
The mission of the clean-up activities is to find and remove oil deposits. Information like protective clothing, training, food and hydration for volunteers is on the website: www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
The phone numbers for volunteering are:
- 1-866-448-5816
- 1-281-366-5511 for licensed Boat Captains
Visit Florida's Real-Time Tourist Information Website
In order to best serve Florida's incoming visitors, Visit Florida has launched a real-time travel advisory website updated daily on the coastal areas that have been affected by the oil spill. Links to many Florida destination's Twitter pages are available on the site in order to further serve our area's visitors. Please refer to http://www.visitflorida.com/florida_travel_advisory/ for more information.
