Students from all over hit Gulf Shores, Orange Beach for Spring Break

GULF SHORES, Al.
Bill McGinnes gets spring break rolling with a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl where more than 1,500 locals and tourists gather at his business, Papa Rocco’s, to toast the Irish and a day at the beach on March 17.
Four professional bagpipers will be playing when the doors open at 8 a.m. at the oyster bar and restaurant McGinnes opened 27 years ago. Then the sea of green will march their way to a dozen more clubs.
"It coincides with spring break and gives every bar a good start," said McGinnes, who is Scotch-Irish.
Welcome to spring break, Gulf Coast-style, where the fun starts in early March and runs till early April. The beach traffic season is based on when students from kindergarten to college take a break in the Southern and Midwestern states, according to tourism officials.
Last spring brought record-breaking numbers of visitors who boosted lodging and retail spending, according to Herb Malone, president and CEO of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. "I’m hearing from businesses that March and April bookings are the same as last year’s or better," he said.
The BP oil spill in spring 2010 devastated rentals and beach businesses, and tourism officials typically use 2007, 2008 or 2009 figures to compare with the 2011 season.
There was $38 million spent on rental lodging in March and April 2011 compared to $31 million in 2009, according to the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism reports. The retail sales hit $106.3 million in March and April 2010, compared to $90.8 million in 2009.
There are 16,312 hotel and condominium units in Gulf Shores, Fort Morgan and Orange Beach, according to the tourism office.
"We’re a spring family vacation destination," Malone said. "We’ve never pursued the "Girls Gone Wild" stuff. We welcome college students who want to relax and enjoy the beach."
Rental agencies are not offering room discounts this spring, but they are monitoring the volatile gas prices. Most consumers are accustomed to the increase in gas prices, according to Bill Bender of Bender Realty in Gulf Shores. "They may not eat out as much or go shopping, but they still come to stay at the beach," he said.
Bender Realty’s rental bookings are 32 percent higher than last year’s spring break, he said. "Last year was one of our best years ever."
Brett/Robinson in Orange Beach has 400 condo check-ins coming in Thursday (March 15), the largest number at one time for this spring break season, according to Marie Curren, a spokeswoman for the company that manages 2,000 rental units.
"We have our fingers crossed for no storms, no oil or whatever else they can throw at our beautiful white beaches," she said.
Waterville USA in Gulf Shores hopes the visitors stay longer this spring break, said John Turberville, general manager of the water park. "Last year was a little soft for us," he said. "We had a lot of people in town, but they were three- to four-day stays. We’re an all-day destination and we do better with longer stays. But we’re looking forward to a good year." The amusement park and Flowrider have opened and the water park will open in mid-May.