By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Tourism officials say there can never be enough positive press coverage to undo the worst-case scenarios that were bandied about during the months-long barrage of bad news about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
"Before you make a decision not to come, make sure you're informed. Check with the destination," he said, adding that they're looking for repeat customers so they're likely to be straightforward. "The travel industry and the tourist industry is not about having people come one time and not again."
"The reporting of the event was as expensive to the businesses on the Gulf Coast as the actual event was. I think the reporting generated much of the hysteria," said Jim Hutchinson, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Office of Tourism. "Much of the impact was as a result of the reporting of what may happen, as opposed to what really happened."
