Visitors double in hurricane-hurting Big Easy
Visitors to New Orleans almost doubled last year, which was welcome news for a city that has seen its tourist trade struggle for much of the time after Hurricane Katrina.
Last year’s visitations reached 7.1 million, up from 3.7 million in 2006, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau reports.
Last year’s visitors spent US$4.8 billion. However, the bureau says work still needs to be done, noting that visitations had reached 8.5 to nine million a year before Katrina.
“Tourism is a multi-billion-dollar, perception-driven business that does not just happen – it takes aggressive promotion,†said Stephen Perry, president of the convention and visitors’ bureau. He added:
“Momentum is returning with multiple recent successes, yet we still have a long way to go to successfully re-image the destination in the minds of millions of visitors, meeting professionals and travel decision-makers worldwide.â€
A survey suggested 70% of those who visited last year were there for pleasure. Another 88% said they would be likely or very likely to recommend New Orleans as a destination to family or friends.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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