Miami-Dade’s on a ‘war footing’ as hotels lose bookings during coronavirus crisis

With travelers spooked over coronavirus fears and cruises labeled contamination risks, Miami-Dade’s tourism industry unveiled a plan Monday to cushion what could be the worst downturn since the 2001 terrorist attacks depressed bookings worldwide.

Early data show the pace for Miami-area hotel and airline bookings down double digits compared to a year ago. Some of the biggest hits are coming from business travel and meetings, including the loss of last weekend’s Tissue World trade show at the Miami Beach Convention Center. A recent survey of Miami-Dade hotels showed 88 percent reporting vacationers canceling rooms over coronavirus concerns.

“It’s pretty significant,” said Roxana Medina, head of marketing for the 150-room Carillon Miami Beach. “There’s definitely been some cancellations over the last week and a half.”

Medina attended a meeting Monday at the Miami Beach Convention Center where the county’s tourism bureau outlined some of the damage so far from the coronavirus and the plan to try and mitigate the downturn.

With elderly people more at risk for serious cases of the coronavirus, Miami-Dade’s group bookers plan to “target short-term meetings with younger demographics,” according to a presentation by Rolando Aedo, chief operating officer at the tax-funded bureau.

The sales pace for airline tickets to Miami is down about 14 percent compared to a year ago, according to a bureau estimate. Foreign bookings are weaker, down about 16 percent compared to 11 percent for domestic tickets.

That helps explain why the bureau is shifting resources from overseas travelers and plans to focus more on people willing to drive their way to Miami. That’s going to mean sacrificing the revenue that comes with high room rates for discounts that can fill beds. Aedo said the bureau has a plan to “maximize opportunity with deal seekers.”

Even before federal authorities took the dramatic step over the weekend to advise Americans not to take cruises, the bureau had frozen marketing efforts for cruise passengers. The bureau also halted social media ads targeting international travelers, Aedo said.

While the overseas travel market is considered a top challenge for Miami amid coronavirus fears, the bureau thinks Latin America can be a bulwark against the downturn.

“Thank God for Latin Americans,” Aedo said, parroting what he said several hoteliers told him in recent days. “Latin Americans tend to be less spooked. They’ve seen it all. ... They won’t overreact to these things.”

The local hospitality industry hopes to highlight a message of safe travels combined with promotion of extraordinary efforts to sanitize hotels, restaurants and other travel hubs. Mark Hatfield, director of security at Miami International Airport, said the county-owned facility is ramping up cleaning schedules and protocols to combat the coronavirus.

“We’ll continue to maintain a war footing,” he said.

Jimmy Morales, city manager for Miami Beach, said there was no reason yet for the area to send out a message other than “we’re open for business.”

“We’re trying to strike a balance, obviously, between protecting people,” he said, and “at the same time, not overreacting.”