The tourism industry in New Orleans is the biggest source of fuel for our local economy and that makes it a very important part of the fabric of our community. We would not have seen the growth throughout our city in recent years without this important economic driving force. As New Orleanians, we all play an important role in the success of tourism in New Orleans, but those New Orleans citizens that work in the hospitality industry are on the front lines.

(photo from Lynn Friedman on Flickr)

More than 78,000 New Orleanians are employed in the tourism and hospitality industries in our city and they all work very hard to be welcoming and genuine, keeping tourism thriving for our city and for their own livelihoods. With that many jobs involved directly with tourism, odds are that each of us knows someone personally that works in the industry. Because New Orleans relies so heavily on tourism, the people that work in that industry are incredibly valuable to our city. Every tourist dollar that enters our economy is spent several times over before leaving, affecting each and every one of us, and they are the first point of contact in transactions with tourists.

(photo from wallyg on Flickr)

Hospitality workers are the bridge between tourists and our city; they share stories, history, and tips with the people that come here to spend money in our economy, and they make some of the first impressions on our visitors.

New Orleans has been welcoming visitors to our city for 300 years, and seeing how important tourism is to our economy, I think we can all appreciate the New Orleanians that work and build their careers around welcoming out-of-towners to our city. The more our tourism and hospitality workers succeed, the more we all succeed.