AMERICAN RESILIENCE: A decade after recovering from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that left their beaches covered in tar, Gulf towns face another existential threat — the coronavirus pandemic

REUTERS/Lee Celano

• Tourism along the Gulf of Mexico came to a screeching halt in 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill covered Texas, Lousiana, Alabama, and Florida resort towns' once-pristine beaches with tar.
• Tourism eventually recovered and exceeded its pre-spill levels, thanks in part to BP's aggressive cleanup program and national advertising scheme.
• Almost exactly a decade later, the area's hotels and condos face another existential threat — from the coronavirus crisis and they are already showing signs of recovery even as the number of cases continues to skyrocket.
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In April 2010, an explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig pumped crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico for five months, covering Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida beaches with tar, and effectively canceling tourism for much of the summer.

In June, July, and August, the Gulf coast's beach towns typically bring in 60% of their revenue, per The Pensacola News Journal. But between June and September 2010, the 90 mile stretch of oceanfront metro areas between Pensacola and Panama City, Florida lost $150 million in tourism each month.

The region's tourism industry was able to quickly recover thanks in part to an aggressive advertising campaign by BP that lured new visitors from across the country.

A decade later, the Gulf's hotel operators, restaurant owners, and tour companies are fighting to stay in business through yet another unprecedented summer slowdown, as the coronavirus crisis has largely halted travel. Hotel bookings have slowed so much in Alabama alone that the state could lose $105.2 million in state and local hotel tax revenue, per AL.com. 

Here's how the Gulf region's tourism industry recovered from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. 

Florida, Alabama, Lousiana, and Texas all have thriving resort towns along the Gulf of Mexico. The beaches became popular road trip destinations in the 1980s because of their bright white sand and wide array of attractions.

REUTERS/Mark Wallheiser MW/MK

Source: The Washington Post, City of Gulf Shores

On April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore rig exploded, killing 11 and injuring 16. The rig pumped 3.3 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the next five months.

REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Files/Handout

Source: Britannica

The rig was located about 41 miles off the coast of Lousiana and spewed crude oil over 57,500 square miles of The Gulf, including approximately 1,100 miles of Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida shoreline.

Google Maps

Source: Britannica

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