Baton Rouge, La. -- New Orleans yesterday won $30 million for tourism promotion from the state agency in charge of Louisiana's recovery following Hurricane Katrina.
Under the plan approved by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, tourism officials will devote a substantial portion of the funding to attract meetings and convention business, which fell dramatically after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, on Aug. 29.
The money is to be shared between the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, Louisiana Office of Tourism, New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation, and Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
"This is an important first step in attracting customers," said J. Stephen Perry, chief executive of the New Orleans CVB. "Tourism does not just happen, it takes investment and promotion to net results."
The organizations designated to receive the funding have yet to work out a detailed plan. In general, the money will pay for marketing, public relations, and direct sales, according to a CVB statement.
In 2004, the last full year of business prior to Katrina, more than 10 million people visited New Orleans, generating nearly $5 billion in revenue, according to the CVB. More than 85,000 people in New Orleans work in tourism-related businesses, making tourism the city's largest employer.
Yesterday's approval is preliminary, the first step in a process that could take two months. The proposal must win final approval from the authority, state legislature, and federal government, which ultimately would provide the funding under a $6.2-billion grant to Louisiana for hurricane-related recovery.
The state will likely provide some funding sooner so the organizations can promote New Orleans in advance of the summer tourist season, Andy Kopplin, the recovery authority's executive director, said yesterday.