Attention: Dive Businesses In Gulf States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
Date: June 14, 2010
Re: WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO HELP PROMOTE UNINTERRUPTED DIVING IN GULF STATES
Our sympathies and concerns go out to all diving businesses and families impacted by the BP Oil Spill. The entire industry is impacted by this environmental tragedy. DEMA will continue providing helpful information to affected businesses. Previously released information can be found at www.dema.org.
It is also important to balance the media-made misperception that all hotels, resorts and diving operations in the impacted states are closed.
DEMA has launched www.gulfstatediving.com to help compile positive, first-hand information from dive businesses in the Gulf State region. Once populated the site will be promoted to the industry, tourist boards and to the various tourist-related media to help clarify and remove these preconceived notions about current diving operations and activities.
Your Positive Diving Information Needed
Your help is needed in getting positive information out as quickly as possible. As your business continues to operate, please visit the www.gulfstatediving.com forum and post information promoting your operation and describing your recent dives, trips, etc. We encourage frequent posting by dive stores to continually show customers that divers are still active and dive sites are still open and free from oil. The website can be used to post links to videos, store websites, the latest dive site information and more. Positive information posted by retailers from these areas should help balance the negative information being circulated in the media.
Industry Support Requested
Companies with retail customers in these areas are asked to pass along this information and encourage retail and diver operator participation in the forum at www.gulfstatediving.com. We have been in contact with a number of affiliated tourist boards who are ready and waiting to spread the positive news about diving in these areas, where appropriate, when this website is populated. Please help keep these businesses operating and serving the diving community during this difficult time. |
