Students around Grounds have been holding their breath, counting down the days until Friday. Although this anticipationis a weekly occurrence for most, the end of this week holds special meaning with the promise of a fun (and rest)-filled Spring Break. There are tons of locations across the globe that will be hosting college students who want to relax, party and forget about the pressures of the academic world.
One area that is expecting up to 400,000 students this year is Panama City Beach, Fla.
Doug Akin, director of the Spring Break program in Panama City for Mr. Youth LLC, said Panama City Beach is ideal for college students because it is a great "combination of day and nighttime activities."
Akin said for this reason, the city has become very popular.
"It is the largest aggregate of college students to be in one location," Akin said. "It is an awesome attraction during the daytime at the beach, and there are clubs and parties at night to draw students in."
Jayna Leach, marketing director for Panama City Beach, said in addition to the plethora of activities for students, scenery is a factor in the popularity of the location.
"The number one attraction is the beautiful beaches, and second is activities that cater to the market," Leach said.
Leach added that Panama City Beach's reputation as a "published" Spring Break destination recently has drawn in spring-breakers.
"Students want to go where other students are, although it's always been popular," Leach said.
Another reason why Panama City attracts students, according to Akin, is because it does not require a huge bank account.
"It is definitely one of the most cost-effective locations," Akin said. "Many students save money by driving down, as opposed to places like Cancun, so it is very economical. Also, a lot of bars and clubs have student discounts and offers to accommodate students."
Leach said the city has been improving how it handles the arrival of thousands of students.
"Panama City Beach has been working with Spring Break for so many years now, we've become experienced," Leach said. "We treat it as a special event with the large influx of people in such a small amount of time."
Leach said the setup of the city is ideal for the event.
"Mostly everything is centrally located," she said. "Our beach is about 17 miles long, and located in central portions of the beach are lots of restaurants and shopping stores. We also have shuttles to take so students don't have to drive everywhere."
Another reason why students look to Panama City for the perfect Spring Break trip is for safety, according to Leach. She said the city has a billboard campaign reminding students to use common sense, and they also use posters, press releases and frequent announcements to keep the issue fresh in students' minds.
"Panama City is popular because we welcome students and have activities for them, and they know we want them to have a safe Spring Break," Leach said. "We feel like it's a good message for the students."
The campaign for safety seems to be working, according to Leach, because problems have decreased since the campaign's introduction.
Akin agreed that the city does a good job promoting safety.
"To make sure it doesn't get out of control and too crazy, lots of safety regulations are enforced," Akin said. "There is an age-21 drinking policy."
Leach said most of the properties hire extra security to protect students.
"Police officers do a really good job mixing and mingling with students and stepping up security," Leach said.
For students who are younger than the legal drinking age, or even under 18, Panama City maintains its appeal.
"A large portion of students from ages 18 to 20 do come, but also a lot who have been before come again as seniors, so there is a mixture and accurate division of under and upper classmen," Akin said. "There are attractions such as live entertainment and amusement parks, renting boats and water sports available."
Second-year College student Liz O'Connor agreed that younger students can enjoy their time just as well as those who are in college or over 21.
"I went to Panama City Beach for Spring Break my senior year of high school," O'Connor said. "It was convenient because it was close to Destin where a lot of my friends were staying."
O'Connor said despite her young age, she had a lot of fun.
"It was really pretty, and there were lots of things to do," O'Connor said. "We went on one of those banana-boat rides. There are also a bunch of sketchy guys who will pay for you to go parasailing with them if you put up with their sketchiness."
According to O'Connor, there were many types of different people in Panama City for Spring Break.
"We met a whole baseball team from Wisconsin," O'Connor said. "It was fun meeting people from all over."
Akin said Panama City Spring Break primarily attracts schools east of the Mississippi, as well as many from the Northeast to the Southeast regions.
Another aspect of the Spring Break in Panama City Beach that may catch the attention of students, especially those of college age, is what is called the Techknow Overload tour.
"This is a traveling technology tour that showcases the latest electronics on market for the college lifestyle," Akin said.
In this tour, Akin said Microsoft software is targeted to students for things such as digital note taking. In addition, there are guitar giveaways, a Nintendo display with a new DS system, iPods, home theater systems and more. Another plus is a contest for the "ultimate dorm room" that students can register for chance to win.
"The room is filled with everything ranging from a TV to game cube and speakers systems," Akin said.
These promotions for Spring Break in Panama City were created with college students in mind in order to get the word out about the Spring Break location.
"We worked with Mr. Youth and came up with a marketing program for college campuses," Leach said.With the prime location, various activities, and masses of promotional deals, Leach said that college students seem to enjoy their spring break experience at Panama City Beach. "I think for the most part they leave very happy, having had a great time at the beach," Leach said. "They have a suntan and are able to eat a lot of good seafood."
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