Christmas on the Coast

Alabama is home to some of the most beautiful land in Dixie, but despite its proud southern heritage, the state’s non-Northern location places it at a strategic disadvantage come Christmas time. When boys and girls go to bed at night in Alabama, their dreams of a white Christmas will almost certainly go unfulfilled.So went the inspiration behind the Alabama Gulf Coast’s new holiday tourism marketing campaign. Though you may not be able to look out your window and see white snow covering the ground, the Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area do have plenty of white sand on which to frolic. The official name of the campaign is “Coast this Holiday,” urging residents to get out of the house, take a vacation and take easy, literally coasting through the holiday season.Historically speaking, the November and December months are a lull for Alabama coastal tourism. As you might expect, the summer months see the heaviest traffic, though winter beach-going is not all too uncommon. The gulf does get its share of visitors during the colder months, though generally the business does pick up until the new year.Strategically, the campaign is aimed at Alabama residents, reminding them that the coast is still there for their enjoyment, hoping to extend the summer shopping window across the entire calendar. Especially in a summer in which revenue is down by local businesses thanks to the oil spill disaster, officials are hopeful that this Christmas will help to turn the tides and start the state’s 2011 on a high note, in terms of economic activity.With plenty of events on tap and stores to satisfy any present buying preference, a Christmas on the coast looks to be a merry match made in heaven for both local businesses and tourists alike.

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