Flushing the bad economy away - Baldwin County NOW

Flushing the bad economy away - Baldwin County NOW: "GULF SHORES, Ala. — Despite difficult economic times facing Americans from coast to coast, numbers recently released by the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau show that during July people were still packing up and heading to the Gulf Coast for recreation, rest and relaxation.

During July, condominium occupancy was just under 80 percent, a 3 percent increase from the same time last year. In both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, the influx of vacationers turned into additional tax income.

Orange Beach set records for lodging and retail tax revenue figures for the month of July, taking in $1.4 million in lodging rental tax, up 5.2 percent from 2008, and $1.01 million in retail sales tax, an increase of 13.5 percent from a year ago."