The 2004 hurricane season will go down as the worst in well over a century, as the Caribbean, Florida, and the southeastern U.S. saw four destructive storms come through between mid-August and late September. And while some properties sustained damage that forced closures of up to three months, it seems the public's perception of the region's safety during storm season is what needs the most repair.
"Group travel to Florida in late summer has always been slow for us," and these storms didn't help, says Laura Shaner-Martin of M.E. Productions, a Pembroke Pines, FL-based DMC. "But it's also the best time of year for substantial discounts on top-notch properties, attractions, and entertainers." Besides, she adds, "Most hurricanes last a day or two, and are quite unlikely to hit an area directly."
Even so, discounted rates may not be enough to lure skittish planners to the hardest-hit areas in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and Florida's Panhandle, southwestern, and east-central coast areas. Proactive suppliers like the Fort Lauderdale and Orlando CVBs sent out several e-mail blasts emphasizing that properties in their regions were immediately open and ready for business, and Saddlebrook Resort's Web page offered visitors a prominent message: "Unaffected by the storms and ready to welcome you."
The storms' fear factor even extended far to the north. Chuck Salvo, director of sales for Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, SC, says that three groups canceled in September because of the threat of hurricanes that had not yet even made landfall in Florida. "Of course we don't want a disagreement with a client, but canceling on such short notice because of a chance of a hurricane really puts us in a tough spot." Salvo adds that the groups promised to bring other meetings to the property in the coming months.