Early Tourist Season For Mobile

By Steve Alexander Reporter

All-star football game kicks off festivities Early Tourist Season For Mobile

Published: Mon, December 17, 2007 - 9:14 pm Last Updated: Fri, January 04, 2008 - 11:12 pm

Steve Alexander

It's an early start to Mobile's tourist season.
The Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star Football Classic Monday night is just a taste of what's going to be a very busy January.
The classic was moved from June to December.
Combine that with the GMAC Bowl's recent move to early January, plus an early Mardi Gras and Leon Maisel, the president of the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau says, "January which, in the past has been a month of a lull, has become sort of a robust month for us."
The first Mardi Gras parade in the Mobile area is January 5th.
Maisel says, "Hotel bookings are up a little bit, and we're trending up."
But tourism officials say events like the Alabama-Mississippi All Star game bring in visitors, too.
Dempsey Smith and his family drove four hours from Brookhaven, Mississippi to watch two players from their hometown.
Smith said, "I drove in yesterday morning, spent the night, did a little shopping as always right at Christmas."
Rick Trotter is from Birmingham.
He said, "We came down Friday. We've been at practice for the weekend and went to the banquet last night."
Tourism officials say March should be busy too, thanks to training camp for the new All-American Football League.