Florida beach town writes Amazon TV series to lure tourists

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Remember that longing you might have had after an episode of “Sex and The City” to shop at the characters’ favorite New York spots and drink cosmopolitans at those chic bars? That’s what travel marketers in St. Petersburg, Florida, were hoping to capitalize on when they commissioned an original, scripted TV series to lure tourists to their sugar sand beaches. The show, called “Life’s Rewards,” aired on Amazon Prime last month. The million-dollar series features picturesque backdrops like sunsets on the beach, the pier, Tarpon Springs and the posh pink Don CeSar hotel. Experts say this is a new genre for tourism marketing.