Since Hurricane Katrina, tourism in the Big Easy hasn't been easy — but it's certainly gotten big, according to new a study released last week by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. and the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center.
According to the study, New Orleans' tourism industry welcomed 8.75 million visitors in 2011, an increase of 5.6 percent, or 462,263, from 8.3 million in 2010. What's more, those visitors spent $5.47 billion — a $180 million increase over 2010 and the highest visitor spending in the city's history.
"These results are a reflection of the hard work of all those in the hospitality industry and a testament to the continued resilience of our great city," said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. "Our city's reputation as a top destination only continues to grow, as evidenced by the unprecedented run of special events we continue to host as we continue to work toward the goal of welcoming 13 million visitors in the year 2018."
Key 2011 statistics, according to tourism officials:
• Overnight visitors grew by 337,000;
• Hotel visitors grew by 75,000;
• Lodging spending increased by $29.6 million;
• The number of visitors visiting friends and relatives increased by 251,000;
• The number of visitors who came in just for the day increased by 125,000;
• More than three-quarters (76.5 percent) of visitors came to New Orleans for vacation/pleasure;
• Nearly a quarter (23.5 percent) of visitors were in New Orleans for a convention, association, trade show, corporate meeting or general business travel;
• More than half (58.6 percent) of business travelers extended their stay for pleasure for an average of 2.1 days;
• Overnight visitor stays in New Orleans went from 4.1 in 2010 to an average of 4.2 nights in 2011;
• Overnight visitation from top feeder markets outside of Louisiana were: Texas, California, Florida and New York;
• The proportion of overnight visitors staying in a hotel was 57.7 percent; and
• Restaurant spending increased by $67.3 million (4.3 percent) and entertainment/recreation increased by $65.1 million (11 percent).
"Reaching a record-breaking $5.47 billion dollars of visitor spending in 2011 proves that the visitor demand for New Orleans and their impact on our economy is on a steady growth trajectory," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Yet tourism does not just happen on its own. It is fueled by marketing, public relations and aggressive sales strategies. In order to reach our goal of 13.7 million visitors and $11 billion dollars by 2018, the hospitality industry is seeking to raise its own additional funding for marketing. Tourism funding is a tremendous investment in job creation, the expansion of our cultural economy, the restoration of our core infrastructure, and new tax revenue generation that benefits every citizen in every neighborhood in New Orleans."
Added Mark Romig, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., "These results continue to demonstrate that New Orleans is seen by visitors as an authentic and unique travel destination, offering the widest variety of attractions, restaurants and hotels, fitting all budgets and interests. Our advertising and marketing plan for 2012 will build on these positive survey results as we continue to target both regional markets throughout Louisiana and neighboring states and key national markets such as the West Coast, Midwest and Northeast."