New Orleans too far from the oil spill zone

New Orleans, one of the most liveliest, colourful and oldest cities of US, attracts millions of spectators every year for its reputation for raucous revue, such as Mardi Gras, museums full of historical specimens, spicy scrumptious Creole cuisine and a vibrant nightlife with jazz music.

Adubon zoo, Adubon Aquarium of the Americas, Louisiana Children's Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Jackson Square, Cabildo, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Old Ursuline Convent, St. Louis Cathedral and D-Day National World War II Museum just to name a few are very popular among the tourists.

Though popularly known as "The Big Easy", this city is now at great unease with the oil spill that happened in the remote parts of the Gulf of Mexico. People have started calling up at the hotels at New Orleans to find out if there is smell of oil in the air and in many restaurants visitors have asked about the freshness and quality of sea-food.

With such queries it is obvious that many are not aware of the location of the vivacious city and in an effort to dispel such suspicions from the mind of curious travellers, Kelly Schulz, vice president of PR for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau in an interview with Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY said, "We're inland" from the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore not directly affected by the spill.

New Orleans has launched print and TV ads (using $5 million from BP Oil Company to assuage damage) to tell people that everything is really normal in The Big Easy. Those who have booked their USA flights this season but not sure about keeping New Orleans in their itinerary can safely visit this city to sample the nightlife and cuisine.

Florida Beaches Wait for Oil Slick to come ashore

The Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in the large part of the gulf waters being covered by a layer of oil. The spillage that started when a British Petroleum (BP) rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana on April 20 has so far caused most damage to the state of Louisiana. The state has over thousands of fishers who earn their livelihood from its shores and contribute to the extent of one third of the nation’s seafood. The trouble did not cease here as Florida and its people wait for the oil to reach the shores putting a question mark to the travel industry which had after the recession started to show the signs of revival. Experts and government officials say that despite the efforts to contain, the spillage could continue until August.

The state of Florida boasts world’s best beaches which are flocked by the tourists in large numbers every year. The beaches spread over thousands of miles of coastline are crucial to the tourism industry of the state and are its key draws. Tourists and locals alike at the Pensacola beach are preparing themselves for the oil slick which is perilously close to it. The fate of some of the other prime North West beaches such as Fort Walton and Panama City Beach is unsure. Many are speculating if the oil slick would reach as far as the Miami Beach which is the premium beach in the state. The hotels and other entertainment businesses on these beaches that depend on tourist influx have already started to incur loss of business.

There is not much one can do about the oil slick and it is inevitable that you will see the oil on the beaches of Florida. It sure hurts to imagine visiting the Sunshine State and not being able to hit its legendary beaches. Looks like in the absence of the great combination of sun, sand and surf, the outdoor activities in Florida will be for some time limited to alternatives less exciting for beach lovers. You can explore cities such as Miami, Orlando, Tampa and St Petersburg. With the state’s beaches becoming inaccessible for some time, a higher tourist flow could be seen in the cities such as Orlando and in case you wish your flights to be re-routed to a different city, check with your travel agent who would be able to help. If you have booked flights to Orlando then you could start your holiday on a positive note by exploring its exciting theme parks with the Walt Disney World Resort, Seaworld and the Universal as the key ones.