New Orleans is a place like no other. Our culture is rich and alluring to folks around the world, and we are lucky for that fact because it affords us a unique opportunity – it fuels our economy. Our largest industry in New Orleans is tourism, so sharing our culture and keeping it alive and strong really is our livelihood. In the past eight years, we have built New Orleans back up to great heights, and visitor spending has been a huge part of that. We are doing very well; we are thriving. Last year tourists spent $6 billion in New Orleans, an all-time high for us – but that doesn’t come easy.

(photo from Nutmeg Designs on Flickr)

Cities around the country, and the world, compete against New Orleans for out-of-towners’ attention, and ultimately, their money. While our city and culture are incredibly appealing, the fact of the matter is that without serious marketing to potential tourists, people will not just choose New Orleans. Some of our competitor cities like Las Vegas and Orlando have massive budgets to attract visitors, and New Orleans’ budget pales in comparison. For example, Orlando spent $50 million on marketing last year, and Las Vegas nearly $120 million, while New Orleans fought tooth and nail with less than $10 million. Because of our unique cultural assets and amazing NOLA residents, we have an edge over other cities and we are able to stay competitive with the big dogs despite our smaller marketing budget, but we can’t let up for a second, and we have so much room for growth.

(photo from ideaSmile on Flickr)

When our city’s ambassador’s fight for tourism, and just as importantly, when we welcome those visitors, we are fighting for our economy; we are fighting for improvements to our city; we are fighting for each other. We will not end up an empty town that tourism forgot; our will is strong. We will rise to the challenge and do what it takes to continue to earn tourist dollars, and with our one-of-a-kind charm, we’ll win their hearts, as well.