ST. PETERSBURG A recent St. Petersburg Times article revealed that the Sheraton Sand Key Resort scrambled to replace a May corporate meeting canceled a few weeks ago by Lucent Technologies that would have filled more than 100 rooms. Meanwhile, at the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, the list for potential small corporate meetings is 15% shorter than it was a year ago.
These reports are in line with many recent industry forecasts that said business travel would slow due to a softening economy. In past slowdowns, the vacation market typically trailed business travel belt-tightening by about six months, so industry watchers are concerned about travel this fall. Some of Florida s urban-area hotels derive up to 70% of their business from meetings and conventions. (4/10/01)
SOURCE:St. Petersburg Times