Will Int'l Tourism Sales Pow Wow in Orlando Register Oil Spill Effect?

The eyes of everyone affected by tourism in Florida will be on Orlando starting this weekend as the huge international trade show known as Pow Wow 2010 kicks off.

The annual show is staged for global tour operators and generates hundreds of millions of dollars for state tourism industries as U.S. tourism operators meet with big tourism package operators from around the world to cut deals on packaged tours, conventions and conferences. Approximately 5,000 people are expected to take part at this year's May 15-19 event.

While Disney, Universal and the other Central Florida attractions plan big, dazzling events for the guests, it's unlikely the international group, to include members of the international media, will be able to ignore the emergency in the Gulf of Mexico triggered by the explosion of a deep water BP oil rig that remains uncapped.

The rig is far out in the Gulf and no oil has reached Florida shorelines yet. In fact, the oil could become caught in the Gulf's looping currents and carried south. Does that mean north Florida shores will be unscathed but southern beaches befouled? Nobody knows. Which creates a difficult task for tourism officials. What message do they blast to the world when so much remains unknown?

Look for a greatly increased emphasis on Central Florida attractions and other tourist draws in cities and counties as Florida officials work devilishly hard to stay ahead of the oil. Assuming there is money, quick response advertising campaigns are likely to pop up that trumpet which beaches are unaffected and open for business. (Measured in miles, if you were to lay out Florida's beachfront like a highway, the ribbon of road would stretch from New York City to Los Vegas).

The big question on the minds of Florida tourism honchos is what effect the still growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will have on the high dollar buyers from China, England, Germany and other nations. The answer should become known later next week when the numbers are received by state officials on how much money was generated by the Pow Wow for Florida's industry.

There is much at stake. The near collapse of the state's building industry has meant that the economy has mostly depended on tourism. And the signs have been good that tourism was rebounding from the recession. The oil spill now threatens to darken those projections. The Pow Wow could brighten them again.