Franklin County Commissioners want to get the word out that our beaches are oil free and open for tourists.
The commission voted on Friday to have the local Tourist Development Council work with representatives of BP oil to kick off a major advertising campaign to bring tourists to Franklin County. BP will have to fund the advertising campaign as the Tourist Development Council’s budget is pretty tight. The TDC did not take into account that there might be a major oil spill when they created their budget last year.
And commissioners are concerned that the TDC could see a major drop in funding next year too if we don’t get tourists into the county – the TDC is funded through a local bed tax, and no visitors means no bed tax.
Many local businesses are already feeling the impacts of the oil spill even though the oil has not moved anywhere near Franklin County’s coast. A number of businesses including hotels, rental agencies and restaurants have reported cancellations because of the fear of oil in the water, and even some home sales have been canceled because of the oil spill.
County commission chairman Smokey Parrish said the county has to help local businesses now during the tourist season because many are just barely keeping their nose above water because of the ongoing financial problems in the country. He pointed out that businesses that don’t make some money this summer will likely not survive next winter.
County commissioners say they want the advertising campaign to begin as soon as possible and to cover areas across the southeast.
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