In New Orleans, tourism is our leading industry and it is crucial to our city’s survival and growth. It benefits our local economy in so many different ways, and the economic impact spreads among industries and areas throughout our city, not just the hospitality and tourism industries. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome plays a significant role for our city, and not just because it is the home of our beloved Saints (WHO DAT!).

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome has seen $336 billion in improvements in recent years, and that investment was well worth it. A fixture in the New Orleans skyline, the Superdome has hosted major sporting events for more than 35 years, and the economic impact of each one of them is huge. In addition to our Saints games that host out-of-town teams and fans, the Superdome is used for annual events like ESSENCE© Festival, Bayou Classic, and the Sugar Bowl.

Photo Courtesy of Todd Landry Photography on Flickr

Our Mercedes-Benz Superdome was also the setting for Super Bowl XLVII, an incredibly lucrative event for our city. According to the University of New Orleans, Super Bowl XLVII propelled $480 million in spending in New Orleans, and $262.8 million of that was said to be direct spending by visitors. Each of those dollars entered our local economy and were spent several times over before leaving, providing our economy with growth that continued on after the fans left. The Super Bowl also helped inspire an estimated $1.2 billion in public and private improvements to the city.

Beyond football games and festivals, the Superdome hosts conventions, tradeshows, and more. We love our Superdome as the Saints’ home, but it brings such economic value to our city that we can appreciate that glistening dome for so much more. Our economic success depends on so much, but sports tourism is an important piece to the puzzle and we can be grateful our ‘Dome for housing such important events year round.