Florida fears for 'world's whitest beaches'
PENSACOLA BEACH. May 5. KAZINFORM "World's Whitest Beaches." So reads the sign, topped with a leaping Marlin, that greets motorists along US Highway 98 as they drive into Pensacola Beach in northwest Florida; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
But local business owners in this tourist mecca fear the promise may soon turn as black as the spreading tide of oil already staining the blue Gulf of Mexico.
BP Plc officials and emergency responders from five states are grappling with a huge oil spill from a ruptured BP-owned Gulf well threatening fishing and tourism centers from Louisiana to Florida.
In Pensacola, the mood is increasingly pensive, skeptical and angry.
Cancellations are flowing into hotels, motels and time shares. And charter boat captains are worried about their livelihoods since they normally look to summer for sun-seeking tourists after the busy spring break season; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version.