Ships' nearing return impacts local business
By Tracey Cooper
Caller-Times
As the USS Inchon's arrival on Wednesday nears,
some hotels and motels are experiencing a surge of business as families of crew
members pour into the area.
Don Johnson, manager for the Home Port Inn in Aransas Pass, said
his 63-room hotel is booked with out-of-towners, mostly from the San Antonio and
Austin areas.
"I had to close (the office) at 11 a.m. Saturday because everything
is booked," Johnson said.
Navy officials expect between 1,500 and 2,000 people on the pier
to greet the Inchon, Devastator, Scout, Champion and Avenger.
The ships are returning to Naval Station Ingleside after five months
of helping refugees in Kosovo and training with European allies in the Mediterranean.
The only fanfare planned for the returning sailors is patriotic music
from the Veterans Band of Corpus Christi, said Ensign Chuck Bell, public affairs
officer for Naval Station Ingleside.
"The idea is to get the sailors off the ship and reunited with their
families," Bell said.
The small ships, with about 85 people each, will begin unloading
at 8 a.m. Wednesday and the Inchon, with about 1,000 crew members on board, will
unload between 10 and 10:15 a.m.
Maria Lara, front desk clerk at the Comfort Inn in Portland, said
the hotel is bustling with or without the big ship's return.
"We're always packed every night," she said.
Other motels are not being affected by the Inchon's arrival.
"I've picked up a total of one customer because of that," said Earl
Oxley, manager for the Cedar Lodge in Aransas Pass.
And Pete Bhakta, who manages the Days Inn in Ingleside, says it is
business as usual for his hotel.
"You wouldn't even know (the Inchon is arriving) if you hadn't read
it in the paper," he said. He added that a few of his staff have asked for time
off to spend with their husbands, who are on the Inchon.
The economic impact will be felt in Corpus Christi as well as the
North Bay Area, said Gary Bushell, president of the Greater Corpus Christi Business
Alliance.
He said after being away from their families for so long, the sailors
will probably take to the area's restaurants to do some celebrating.
Staff writer Tracey Cooper can be
reached at 886-4334 or by e-mail at coopert@caller.com
