FOLEY, Ala. — The presidents and CEOs of South Baldwin’s two chambers of commerce are asking the state’s other 126 chambers to keep coastal Alabama in their prayers. They are also encouraging the chambers and their 60,000 members to “come and visit,” something sorely needed in light of the ongoing oil spill crisis.

Linda Whitlock of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce and Donna Watts of South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce sent a letter on May 10 to “Fellow Chamber of Commerce Executives and State Business Leaders.”

“Our beaches are clean; the restaurants are open and packed with fresh seafood; local fishing guides are ready to hit the Gulf and back bays; the pools are sparkling, and the weather is sunny and warm,” the two local chamber executives say in the letter.

Whitlock and Watts note the 2010 tourism season looked promising locally prior to the April 20 explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform off the Louisiana coast.

“Now, we are suffering from a large number of cancelled reservations and a general slowdown in our economy, just as the critical summer tourism season is set to begin,” they write.

Concerning the potential impact of the oil spill in Baldwin County, the chamber executives note there are more than 40,500 tourism-related jobs with $2.3 billion in travel-related expenditures in Baldwin alone. Mobile has nearly 16,000 tourism-related jobs with $820 million in travel-related expenditures.

“Baldwin and Mobile counties account for over 35% of the overall tourism economy of our state,” the letter says.

Watts and Whitlock also ask state chamber executives and business leaders to spread the word concerning the “important role” this area plays in the state economy. They also had high praise for “local elected officials and business leaders (who) have come together as a team like never before.”