Baldwin occupancy, retail sales increased during fall concert series, latest figures show

Published: Friday, December 24, 2010, 5:34 AM

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Two months ago, as coastal leaders were working to win back visitors with a series of high-profile concerts, a married couple from Marshall, Texas, left a note in a condominium guest book.

They had been coming to the area for 25 years, they wrote, but had decided to travel to Mexico during the summer because of the BP PLC oil spill.

Curious about how Alabama’s beaches were faring, they returned for a Brad Paisley show in Gulf Shores.

“October was great — less crowds — more laid back,” their note stated. “We were happy to see that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach haven’t changed.”

They promised to return.

Comments like that one have delivered a boost of confidence for coastal communities trying to revive tourism after a summer wrecked by the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

“In one little note is exactly what we’ve been trying to do,” said Mike Foster, vice president of marketing for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. “We’re trying to create almost a viral campaign — that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are OK.”

New data, released this week, show that the concert series helped spark bigger crowds this fall than a year ago. October’s retail sales jumped 9 percent from last year, while lodging revenue rose by more than 5 percent.

Hotel occupancy kept moving upward in November, increasing almost 6.5 percent.

Still, room costs were much less expensive, on average, than before, down 44 percent. November’s actual lodging revenue figures were not yet available.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon described the concert series as “tremendous” and said that plans were in motion to launch an eight- or nine-month run of musical shows starting in March.

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft has been pushing oil giant BP to continue marketing the clean beach. He said that the fall events not only generated needed revenue, but showed off the coast’s recovery from the spill.

“It’s very important that we get the word out early so that we can try to build momentum,” Kennon said. “We need a big summer next year to help our merchants get out of the deep hole that was dug for them by BP.”

Foster said he believes that more and more tourists will start to return in 2011. “We feel very, very confident we will re-win the hearts and minds of those people who have loved us for years and years and years,” he said.

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U.S. Rep. Bonner unimpressed by Feinberg's latest claims announcement, says he's 'lost trust'

Published: Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 4:34 PM ??? Updated: Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 4:34 PM

MOBILE, Alabama -- U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner is not impressed with Gulf Coast claims czar Ken Feinberg’s new rules governing final payments to people and businesses damaged by this summer’s oil spill.

The Mobile Republican, who has called for a Justice Department investigation of Feinberg’s Gulf Coast Claims Facility, said that he has no confidence in Feinberg’s protocol for final payments or the Claims Facility’s ability to pay remaining emergency claims by Dec. 15.

“Mr. Feinberg’s new offer is simply a new verse to the same old song of unfulfilled promise on top of unfulfilled promise,” Bonner said in an e-mail. “Like many business owners who have been abandoned by Mr. Feinberg, I have lost all trust in his ability to manage the claims process or in his credibility in following through with new promises.”

Feinberg did not specifically respond to Bonner’s letter to the Justice Department. But he said he is troubled by the concerns Bonner has expressed to him directly.

"I have a very high regard for Congressman Bonner. I consider him a very important and credible constructive critic," he said. "One does not ignore Congressman’s Bonner’s criticism. ... And I plan to deal with the problem."

Feinberg’s Gulf Coast Claims Facility this morning also released a 54-page study by a Harvard Law School professor that Feinberg said demonstrates people indirectly affected by the oil spill likely would have much narrower legal claims to compensation than they would get from his claims process.

Claims for final payments will be open to all residents and businesses, whether or not they sought emergency relief and even if they were turned down initially, Feinberg said. Under the process laid out by Feinberg today, those initially opting for interim payments could ask for a lump sum at any time until the claims process ends Aug. 23, 2013.

Feinberg said the quarterly payments would be deducted from the final check. He said claimants very well could get more by accepting a one-time payment up front.

Feinberg also detailed appeal options for claimants and for BP, which agreed to put up $20 billion to fund the claims process.

People and businesses with claims exceeding $250,000 can appeal to a 3-judge panel that soon will be set up. BP also can appeal Feinberg’s decision to pay if claims exceed $500,000. His spokeswoman, Amy Weiss, said the BP appeals process is mandated by the federal Oil Pollution Act.

Also, after 90 days of no decision, or if a claim is denied, any claimant can appeal to the U.S. Coast Guard and then to federal court.

“I am determined to be more generous than the courts would be or the Coast Guard would be,” Feinberg said.

BP spokesman Justin Saia said the company would defer comment to Feinberg.

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