BP launches new Gulf of Mexico advertisement

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BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - Tourism along the Gulf of Mexico is getting another boost from BP. Beginning Monday, the company is launching the latest in a series of ads which promote the Gulf Coast as a vacation destination.

Are those ads making a difference with tourists?

In the two years since the oil spill, tourism along the Mississippi Gulf Coast was probably hurt more by perception rather than reality. The ongoing BP ad campaign is designed to address that concern; highlighting what the company is doing to help the gulf coast recover and inviting visitors here to see for themselves.

Robert and Dimple Lewis live eight hours away from Biloxi, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For the past several years, they've been frequent visitors to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

"Oh, we love everything down here. The casinos, the beach. We love it all," said Dimple Lewis.

"It's a fun place to come to. We enjoy ourselves, really," added her husband, Robert.

Two years ago, the couple worried about their favorite vacation spot, fearing the worst based on national news coverage.

"The news was on all day long about it. And it went on forever," said Mrs. Lewis.

The latest BP ad is aimed at addressing those perceptions and inviting folks to see for themselves.

"Just always heard of Biloxi and finally just, let's go see it," said Eldon Smith, from Missouri.

He and his wife also wondered about any lingering impact from the oil spill.

"I was wondering if I'd see any, but I haven't seen any signs of it," he said.

The couple also hasn't seen the BP ads promoting the Gulf Coast.

"Not that I recall," said Smith.

David and Gayla Summerlin of Houston are re-living some memories in Biloxi. Some 25 years ago, they took their kids to the beach here.

"We're loving it! Just enjoying it to the fullest," said Gayla Summerlin.

They too, haven't seen the BP ads and, based on news coverage alone, feared the worst for the Mississippi coast.

"The oil spill was supposed to be really just devastating along the whole beach line, the whole coast. But I don't see any signs of any oil spill here. Somebody did a pretty phenomenal job cleaning up," said David Summerlin.

WLOX News talked with several people in the tourism industry who say the spring was "decent" and they're hoping for a busy summer season. They say while the BP ads should help raise overall awareness about the Gulf Coast as a vacation destination, it will be difficult to measure the exact impact of that advertising campaign.