Tar balls started to wash up on the shores of Florida’s Keys, but concerns have not floated into the minds of international travel planners.
The oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico hasn’t changed the way they sell Orlando as a destination, many planners told The Orlando Sentinel. And for their clients, it’s not a top travel worry, some said.
"They’re concerned about it, but they don’t change the destination because of this," said Jackie Logan, vice president of Logan Travel in Buenos Aires. "Argentineans love Orlando … It’s the perfect destination for the family, for the couples, for honeymooners."
Logan was one of about 1,100 travel buyers from 70 countries gathered this week at the U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow convention at the Orange County Convention Center.
"It’s more like Louisiana that is mentioned," said Nele Degryse, North American product manager for Jetair, a Belgian company. "The Gulf Coast of Florida is not too much mentioned."
Florida’s sandy beaches are often not the main motivation of international travelers. Theme parks are more common reasons for visits.
"We live in Rio de Janeiro. We have beaches all around. We don’t send people to [Orlando to] go to the beaches," said Alexandre Gurgel Lima, director for the New It Club, a Brazilian travel company. "The people in Brazil love to do shopping and you can shop all around Orlando."
For Renaud Defosse, the oil spill is a secondary concern compared with the Icelandic volcano that has been spewing ash and disrupting travel in Europe, depending — literally — on which way the wind blows.
"I think that’s the biggest problem on people’s minds," said Defosse of Let’s Go Travel in Brussels, Belgium. "They don’t want to spend their money, on plane tickets especially, and not be able to take off and go on holiday."
by David Wilkening
