 |
||||||||||
| Home
|
The Disneyland Report > Disney News > Disney World reopens after Jeanne Disney NewsDisney World reopens after JeanneBut expert fears tourists might avoid Florida after four powerful hurricanes sweep the stateLOS ANGELES - Walt Disney World reopened on Monday after the fourth hurricane in six weeks to sweep Florida closed the resort for a day and sparked wider fears that tourists might start avoiding the state. The Walt Disney Co. resort sent guests to their rooms on Sunday, but cleanup crews worked overnight to put the Orlando-based park in shape for guests on Monday morning. "We've been in Florida for more than 30 years, so we've got this one down pretty well," said Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty. "It looks like a normal day at Disney World." But Orlando resident and tourism industry consultant Peter Yesawich said the storms collectively may scare away tourists from the Sunshine State."Normally I would say, even hit by two hurricanes, we would be fully recovered by Thanksgiving, but I think people are going to be a little more nervous," he said. There was some fear that big groups might avoid Florida during hurricane season next year. "Meeting planners are redirecting business already," he said, referring to anecdotal evidence about bookings for 2005. "That may be more of an issue and a challenge for the state." Jeanne ripped off roofs and filled oceanfront condos with sand, when it crashed ashore with 120 mph (195 kph) winds near Stuart on the Atlantic coat and moved across the state to the Gulf coast on Sunday. By Monday it had weakened and became a tropical storm. The state tourism board, Visit Florida, and industry leaders are preparing to lobby Gov. Jeb Bush to support a $30 million tourism advertising campaign to repair the psychological damage of the string of storms. "Considering the amount of hit we've taken, the state as a whole has survived remarkably well," said Visit Florida spokesman Tom Flanigan. But fears are that potential visitors will only remember television scenes of disaster. Storms have mixed results for the hotel industry. Hurricanes, especially Frances, have shut down a few hotels for months of repairs, but business in the short term has boomed at properties that survived the storms. Returning evacuees and civil defense workers have poured into areas that had been hit hard. To read the rest of this story, click here.Return to Disney News. |
|||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
The
Disneyland Report - Disney News and Secrets is not affiliated
with Disneyland |
 |
|||||||||
 |
||||||||||
