Fourth of July weekend still 'the big one'

Gas is $4 a gallon, Starbucks is going to close 600 stores and the moneymen on Wall Street are warning of a bear market.

But on the Emerald Coast, it appears the Fourth of July weekend is going to feature business as usual.

Tourists might be hard-pressed to come up with the usual amount of disposable income. But this is the Holy Grail of the summer vacation season, and generations of visitors remember the beaches.

"It's the biggest week of the year and people are still going to come," said Shane Moody with the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Being a drive-to location has helped us, because if people drive six hours to get here, it's only about $20 more. But if you're flying somewhere, it could be hundreds of dollars more, and that's a huge advantage we have here."

Chan Cox of Chan's Wine World has been in the area for more than 25 years. He has three stores in Destin, Miramar Beach and Sandestin.

"What can really affect a holiday is the day it falls on, and being on Friday is not quite as good as in the middle of the week," said Cox. "But we're having a great week. I'm up in all stores."

Cox is well aware of the gloomy economic forecasts.

"That's all people talk about," he said. "But one of the things we've got to do is change the attitude and get out of this mess. It's not growing the way it was, but there's a saying now: The new ‘up' is ‘flat.' "

Restaurants such as Royal B in Destin are preparing to deal with the rush.

"We're having to be careful we don't overbook Saturday night," said Brittany Goodrum, Royal B's sales manager. "This is our second Fourth of July and we expect to be full."

Hotel bookings appear to be as strong as ever.

All 335 rooms at Ramada Plaza Beach Resort on Okaloosa Island were booked, said General Manager Joe Guidry.
"This is the big one," Guidry said.

Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort reported all 1,700 units were booked. At Legendary's Emerald Grande, Nicole Rewis said all of its 200 available condominiums were taken.

"This is the biggest weekend of the year for anybody," said Rewis, who noted that Emerald Grande had just opened for the Fourth of July weekend last year.

"Now, folks know we're here and we're open," she said.

Early this week, Vickie Warner of ResortQuest said that its 3,000 condominiums, cottages and private houses from Alabama to Panama City were "99.99 percent booked, and the phones are ringing off the hook."

Colleen Kirsch, public relations manager for Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, said its 1,700 units were full. The resort also manages the Courtyard by Marriott (174 rooms) and Residence Inn (120 suites) in Destin, which were both booked solid for today and Saturday.

"We're not necessarily surprised," Kirsch said. "Having the holiday on a Friday gives visitors a long weekend and gives them an opportunity to take advantage of that. We have a lot of packages and specials to make it easier for them. And we've got value-added extras (such as The Village at Baytowne Wharf shopping and restaurant complex) that help stretch the dollar a little bit further."

General Manager Mike Chouri at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa said he had no trouble booking all 600 rooms there.

"It's been amazing how the last 10 days the phones have been ringing," Chouri said. "The good thing is, people are driving. We're going to have a very solid July. It's a family-oriented month and historically our highest revenue-producing month."

Chouri noted the Hilton was using some "budget-sensitive rates" because demand was stronger last year.

"We're adapting to the situation ... to go with the flow," he said.

Speaking of flow, there won't be much of that on U.S. Highway 98 this weekend.

"Traffic is thick right now and it's going to get worse," Sgt. Jay Jones of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

"It's not so bad you're sitting on the island for an hour-and-a-half, but people need to keep their patience ... slow down and remember they're on vacation, and that there are traffic laws in the state of Florida," Jones said.

He added that motorists should move to the other lane and slow to 20 mph below the speed limit if they see a law enforcement vehicle or a wrecker at an emergency scene.