FOLEY, Ala. — The area’s economic status was the focus of the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Leadership Luncheon on Monday.

The event that took place at Foley Civic Center featured two aspects of that focus, one of which was tourism.

“Tourism is Baldwin County’s cash cow,” said keynote speaker Herb Malone, president/CEO of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. “Tourism, itself, is economic development.”

He explained that natural disasters in recent years had little effect on Gulf Coast tourism.

“Hurricane Katrina hit in the summer of 2006,” he said. “But 2007 was our highest record year.”

Malone told luncheon attendees that the following year’s spike in gas prices only put a slight dent in tourism revenue.

“We only went down about 3 percent,” he said.

Malone said the BP oil spill did have a slight impact on the area’s tourism  industry in 2010. But visitors returned to south Baldwin last year.

“We jumped up $277 million in growth revenue,” the tourism president said.

According to Malone, tourists have an emotional connection to the Gulf Coast, when draws them for return visits. To prove the point, he posed the idea of approaching a tourist and starting a conversation with them about their trip.

“The first thing they’re going to tell you is how long they’ve been coming here,” Malone said.

He said that despite the area’s success in tourism, efforts are under way to draw even more visitors, including a vacation guide that will be available as an app for smart phones and tablets.

“Mobile computing is a hot item,” Malone said, “not just today, but for the future.”

He also told the audience that televised packages are also slated to draw attention to the Gulf Coast, including a PBS series, a segment on “Today in America” with Terry Bradshaw” and a six-minute video slated to play on Delta Airline flights.

He also touched on draws to the area, such as annual festivals and sporting facilities and events.

“One thing we’ve got is great sports facilities around here, Malone said.

Find a look at the workforce portion of the luncheon in Tuesday’s edition.