BP gives Mississippi $15M to entice beach tourists

[imurhuckleberry]

Source: Memphis Business Journal

The state of Mississippi has received $15 million from BP PLC, which it will use to launch a new advertising campaign promoting its coastal counties.

The campaign will communicate the message that the state’s beaches have not been affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which followed an April 20 explosion aboard the BP-owned offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is currently working with the Mississippi Development Authority and local convention and visitors bureaus on the campaign’s details.

Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of MDA’s tourism division, said the ad campaign will aggressively reach out to potential visitors to the Gulf Coast who may be concerned with the oil spill’s impact on the area.

Read more: BP gives Mississippi $15M to entice beach tourists - Memphis Business Journal


Read more: http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/05/17/daily17.html

[paparush]

1. Screw that. Give Barbour a straw and tell him to go suck up all the oil.

That guy is a serious threat to the species.

[saigon68]

31. He will NEVER deal with this

[KamaAina]

34. Or better still, just use all that lard to plug up the leak

:grr:

[cheneyschernobyl]

35. You owe me

a new keyboard!

I was stationed at Keesler AFB from 2006-2008, and feel for everyone there. In a cruel way, the MS voters have themselves to thank...they not only voted that bozo as Governor but re-elected him in 2007!

My apologies in advance for suddenly switching from humor to animosity for right wing-nuts.

[Recursion]

2. Visit D'Iberville and keep as much oil as you want!

That could actually be a good slogan.

For that matter, does D'Iberville still exist? I'd heard it and Pass Christian kind of got washed away back in '05...

[pitohui]

13. the fact that you think they're gone suggests the ad campaign is badly needed

of course d'iberville is still there, and so is pass christian etc., the recovery in the area is impressive after less than 5 yrs

biloxi, gulfport etc have been open for business quite some time

$15 million may be a drop in the bucket, but it's a start

the mississippi gulf coast is poised to take a huge hit this year, if florida actually raises their gambling limits and gets some decent casino/poker games of their own

it is also likely to be an active hurricane season, which means at the v. least some days of closed business

the oil spill and its impact on fishing charters, etc. is a big worry

people need to know where the beaches, fishing, etc. is open so they can make plans and god knows that mississippi can use the tourist money

there is a potential for some really hard times coming for the mississippi gulf coast if the tourists do not come this year, and it would be a shame, because there is some of the best games and gaming in the country here to my mind...

[cheneyschernobyl]

36. Both are still there

I was stationed at Keesler AFB from 2006-2008, and lived in D'Iberville. The Katrina related clean-up was going rather slowly; when I arrived in July 2006 I thought Katrina passed through only a week earlier!

[CountAllVotes]

3. msg. for BRITISH PETROLEUM

take the $15 million and SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR DAMN THROATS UNTIL YOU CHOKE ON IT YOU HEARTLESS GREEDY MURDERERS!!

We must STOP these criminals!

Who/what will they kill next?

:kick: & recommend.

[ladjf]

4. Why Mississippi exclusively? Could it be related to Barbour's

support?

[pitohui]

14. it isn't mississippi exclusively

i myself have already received material inviting me to alabama's gulf coast and i just read that florida is getting money also

they will have to do something else for louisiana, our own coastline is going to be badly impacted, and at this time i'm somewhat flabbergasted to think of the size job needed for clean-up, re-training people for other industries, etc.

some families in louisiana have been in shrimping or another fishing job for hundreds of years, they do not know anything else, and it's one thing if you're 20 but what if you're 50? now there's no job you can do and you're too young to just lay down and die

it's a terrible tragedy but i cannot begrudge mississippi the $ they need to help their tourism

[ladjf]

15. I wasn't begrudging Mississippi. In fact, I'm from there. I had

recalled Barbour saying that this spill wasn't a very big deal or something to that effect. I wasn't aware that BP had already sent millions to other states.

[pitohui]

20. oh barbour's an ass, no debate there EOM

;

[pleah]

18. Yes, along with Wicker and Cochran.

They are all still fully behind more drilling. :(

[RexDart]

5. Could be fun to come up with ads...

Come see the Mississippa Gulf Coast. Free fill up with each visit.*


*If you can wring out enough seagulls

[HappyCynic]

6. Could be a lot of "slick" ads...

[htuttle]

9. They'd have to use the song 'Brazil' as the soundtrack

It would just fit somehow, in a dark, Terry Gilliam sort of way.

[Dr.Phool]

12. Toxic Sludge! It's what's for Dinner!

Florida got $25 million!

[KamaAina]

33. The Mississippi Beach. Oiled up and ready for fun!

:sarcasm:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

7. WTF?

And in 5 days, 10 days, 30 days, what will it look like?

Goddamn it! Stop the PR bullshit and put ALL the resources towards fixing the problem and cleaning up the mess.

[apnu]

8. I can see the ad campaign now... "come to Mississippi's sludge strewn beaches!" ...

... "Lovely sludge! It blocks the sun and rejuvenates the skin!"

[saigon68]

32. Birds love it

[Stuart G]

10. It won't be enough...Mississippi will need 20 times that much and

BP will not come through..How do I know, they haven't come through on anything yet. Especially about telling the truth.

[thereismore]

11. BP: get the $15 mil in small bills and shove it up your gushing riser pipe! nt

[Octafish]

16. How can you not like this company?

BP's so sweet, Karl Marx'd be on the board.

[pleah]

17. Yeah, come down to Gulfport and see the tar balls wash up on shore!

Dumb fucking assholes!

edit to add: This morning the smell of oil was so strong it made me gag!

[pitohui]

21. jesus well i'll be there saturday

it's just a tragedy, what can i say

[marions ghost]

28. Vacation essentials:

gas mask, oxygen tanks
barrier cream
hazmat suit
personal hair booms (for going in the water)
wildlife body bags
water analysis kits

free suntan oil, nice bronze!

[Canuckistanian]

19. Good. More witnesses to the disaster

It'll help prove that environmental disaster affects MORE than just locals.

[Javaman]

22. This remotely reminds me of the movie Jaws.

when the police chief wanted to close the beach, but the mayor said no, it ill kill the tourist season. We all know what happened then. LOL

Mom: Sally, go play in the sand.

Sally: Mom, the sand is...slippery.

Mom: sigh. fine. here. Take these BP rubber gloves. Now go find your brother. I think he was collecting tar balls.

[pleah]

26. That is how I see this playing out. They got their dirty little hands on a wad

of money and are just dying to piss it away on advertising. Gawd, I hate the assholes running this place.

[rocktivity]

23. They gave $25 million to Florida

:eyes:
rocktivity

[Evasporque]

24. World Beach Oil Wrestling Championships coming to Mississippi!!...nt

[Barack_America]

25. "Come to Mississippi, where you can take a dip in the ocean without washing off your tanning oil!"

It'll be a Spring Break mecca next year. The Jersey Shore Kids and their ilk in particular would really respond to that ad campaign.

[daleo]

27. Visit the beach

Get a free lube job, courtesy of BP.

[roamer65]

29. Do tar balls also make good beach balls?

:sarcasm:

[and-justice-for-all]

30. that is revolting!!

those sick bastards.