“You are a tourism state. We think there is more potential on the coast than anything we can do. So I'll just leave that with you, then if there are opportunities between the two systems that provide a mutual benefit that can benefit both British Columbia and Alaska and the systems themselves then I'm very much interested in pursuing those.”
Dan Miller
“But more important than the economic activity, more important than the tourism that it brings to our state, ... is the fact that it's an important part of our culture and our way of life.”
Matt Blunt
“I think tourism is going to bust out here. I think we're just going to absolutely explode over the next ten years.”
Hickory Delegal
“It has an overarching impact on the state in terms of attracting tourism, attracting conventions and attracting businesses that want to make their home here. It is very unfortunate that the governor has chosen to scapegoat a minority group in this way.”
Christina Gilgor
“I think this is a very low-impact form of tourism. We think this does not have the same impact as building a resort.”
Robert Kritzman
“[Craig Ray, director of the Tourism Division of the Mississippi Development Authority, said state leaders are aware of the problems faced by communities that relay on tourism dollars.] What we can do is protect the business we have now by moving conventions scheduled for the coast to other places, ... We're constantly on message that the state is open for business.”
Craig Ray
“Tourism is a $6.35 billion industry and a huge part of the local economy along this coast. Katrina not only washed away the culturally historic communities here, it also washed away a big part of our livelihood, but it could not take away our spirit. I cannot believe the substantial progress Tourism - Caring for America volunteers made. With 20 percent of our economy laid off due to Katrina-related issues, we have been working day in and day out over the past six months to get our communities back on track. This kind of concentrated effort makes us feel like we moved mountains in just a few days.”
