Oklahomans Changing Vacation Plans in Wake of Gulf Oil Spill

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The arrival of the oil slick along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico coincides with the beginning of the summer tourism season, which normally brings millions of dollars to that region, but some families are now looking for their dream beach vacation elsewhere.

For the Gaddie family in Norman, they vacation in Florida every year.

"The panhandle is one of the most pleasant easy going places you'll ever go to," said Keith Gaddie, who has planned a trip to Florida.

This year, his vacation hot spot is expected to be covered in oil from the BP leak, but Gaddie said despite the disaster, his family is still going.

"It's just like getting hit by a hurricane. You clean up, you rebuild and you go on," Gaddie said. "That means for folks like us you have an obligation to go down and support those people who've been good hosts to us for all those years and good neighbors."

For others a summer of slick and sheen-covered beaches is too much to handle. That's why travel agents are busy booking clients someplace else.

"They're concerned their beach destination that they so dreamed about is going to be ruined," said Trisha Clark at Travel Agents Inc. in Oklahoma City. "We sympathize with them because I wouldn't want to be going to a destination that's a perfect white beautiful sand beach and now it's black and it smells, and you have to sympathize with them because it's a horrible situation."

Tour companies are working with travel agencies to help change destinations for families. However, vacationers may be hit with a fee from the airline companies.

In the meantime, hundreds of workers are lining up along the coasts of Alabama and Florida ready to begin the cleanup any day now.