Gulf Oil Spill Tourism

AP News - 538 days ago
Gulf Oil Spill Tourism
FILE - In this July 4, 2010 file photo, an oil cleanup worker walks along the beach in Dauphin Island, Ala. In Alabama's Dauphin Island, known for its sugar sand beaches and bird sanctuaries, 90 percent fewer people booked summer rentals compared to last summer, said Mayor Jeff Collier. The story here is mirrored across the Gulf Coast. Beaches have been cleaned, the oil leak has been plugged and some cities never had oil wash ashore at all. Still, tourists stay away from what they fear are oil-coated coastlines _ a perception officials say could take years to overcome and cost the region billions of dollars. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)