New Orleans is able to not only survive, but thrive, because we are a city of passionate, loyal, dedicated people. As we continue to work for our city, playing to our strengths can help us focus our efforts and energies. Ignoring the power of our leading industry would just be foolhardy, as our city gains so much from it.

(photo from Derek Bridges on Flickr)

Tourism is our economy’s largest source of fuel and this industry benefits our city in so many different ways. From generating huge amounts of revenue ($6.47 billion in 2013), to providing stable jobs and fulfilling careers, to generating sales tax revenue that our city uses to improve streets, safety, and schools, every ounce of success that our tourism industry sees is success for our entire city.

Playing to our strengths by supporting the tourism industry is working smart. We’ve got a culture so unique and so rich, and we are a community so welcoming and so vibrant, it only makes sense that our tourism industry would be flourishing the way it is. Taking advantage of tourism and benefitting from our culture and way of life helps us to retain and preserve many of the best things about it that are ingrained in our way of life, from our food and traditions to our music and joie de vivre.

When focusing efforts and working to better our city, we need to be throwing our strongest punch, and luckily for us here in New Orleans, tourism is our strongest punch. As we continue to be ourselves, by being authentic and welcoming, combined with making the conscious choice to support tourism in our city, our future will know no bounds.