In some parts of the Florida Panhandle, coastal communities say they’re seeing 80 percent cancellation rates for vacation rentals because of oil and tar balls washing up the beaches from the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Discussing the summer resort season that wasn’t is Mark Bonn, the Robert H. Dedman Professor of Service Management at Florida State and a prominent expert on tourism, who was interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor.

“In today’s consumer mindset, safety is paramount, and tourists are answering the question of how safe it is to get into the water with their wallets at this point,” Bonn said in the June 23 article. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”