Miami Mayor Urges Help for Tourism Industry.

Byline: Shannon Tan

Sep. 25--Go out. Stay in a hotel, eat out, visit local attractions. Be a tourist.

Those were the desperate pleas of Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas at a press conference Monday. Penelas proclaimed Sept. 28-30 as "Freedom Weekend," telling locals to do their part in helping the tourism industry -- which has been hard hit since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"As a nation mourns, our lives are on hold, airlines are less than half full, restaurants are bare, hotels are suffering, attractions are hurting," he said.

Practically all hotels in Miami-Dade -- where occupancy rates have plummeted to around 30 percent -- have had to implement cutbacks.

The Biltmore in Coral Gables will lay off 20 percent to 25 percent of its workforce, or 100 to 150 employees, said president Gene Prescott. Some layoffs have already taken place, he said.

Penelas said he was helping out by staying at a Miami Beach hotel this weekend with his family. "I'm going to suggest every resident of our county go out this weekend," he said.