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Quality of life separated from tourism by thick line
No one has to tell Keys
residents that the islands are full of tourists.
So, hearing the
figures from the Tourist Development Council that the Keys and, in
particular, Key West, were at record levels this past year was just
confirmation.
In the last week or
so, U.S. 1 has been bumper to bumper and the sidewalks have been store
to curb.
And, that's not even
what the statistics document.
According to the Smith
Travel Report, and Peter Ilchuk's assumptions, October was the best
October in Key West's tourism history. "I can't imagine that there has
ever been a better October than this year," said the president of the
Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West.
The survey, which goes
back to 1995, indicates that Key West hotels were filled to 74.9 percent
of capacity in October. There has never been a higher capacity for that
month.
The bed tax is also
confirming that tourism is back in stride in the Keys since the economic
recession and the terrorist attacks of 2001.
Harold Wheeler,
director of the TDC, said that the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 was
the second best, trailing only 2001.
Wheeler said the new
year also looks very promising with advance bookings up, visitors
spending more money, tourists traveling from more distant places, the
airline industry picking up and some improvement in international
travel.
These figures and
"optimism," of course are wide open to interpretation.
Those of us who live
in the Keys year-round are always prone to comparing tourism dollars
with our quality of life.
Those automobiles
clogging U.S. 1 (in or out) mean that those of us who also must use that
highway for business or pleasure need to allow more travel time.
We know that when we
go to the supermarket, we won't be able to whiz up and down the aisles.
There will be befuddled people trying to find canned meat.
When we finally find
time and resources for a night out, we'll be part of the Duval Street
sidewalk problem, not part of the solution.
Those residents who
work in the restaurants, bars and hotels will be dealing directly with
the tourists -- who may not always get what they want or anticipated.
Yet, those of us who
work in the Keys know that if the tourist industry were suddenly
swallowed up, so would our incomes that are so dependent on the dollars
from afar.
It is not a thin line
that divides tourism and quality of life. In fact, it is a fairly broad
one.
But, we all need to
look at it and help our governmental leaders keep us on that line.
We want tourists. We
need tourists. We depend on tourists. But, we live here, too.
Many of us stay here
or moved here because we, too, appreciate the restaurants and the sun
and the beaches and the sailing and the fishing and all the other
inducements that the Keys offers.
That thick line is
crying for control. There needs to be a balance. How many tourists are
too many? Is the TDC too successful? Have we become too dependent on the
tax money paid by tourists, not just in the bed taxes that go to further
tourism promotion but the sales and gas taxes the help run local
government as well.
Intelligent people
should be answering these and many other questions.
Against the wishes of
some of his fellow commissioners, Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley has
formed a committee of citizens who will report back to him (and the
commission) on what they think.
It appears to be a
very good committee.
But, we've had good
committees before.
This one needs to take
a hard look at what we're trying to do here and offer some sound
suggestions that will give us a solid quality of life, while also
providing us with the income to make that happen. |
