New Orleans CVB Press Release: New Orleans Tourism Industry: It’s Business As Usual

New Orleans CVB confirms conventions, tracks tourism after Hurricane Ivan leaves area

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc. (NOMCVB) today announced that it’s business as usual in the Big Easy. The local tourism industry is taking reservations for hotels and restaurants, and encouraging visitors to take in attractions and beautiful weather forecasted for the weekend.

NOMCVB has aggressively contacted regional and national media outlets, including television networks, radio stations and newspapers to keep tourists apprised of availability in and accessibility to New Orleans. NOMCVB President and CEO Stephen Perry has been interviewed on television radio stations and participated in a joint press conference with Mayor C. Ray Nagin to further convey that New Orleans is ready for tourists.

“We are very fortunate that New Orleans sustained minimal damage from Hurricane Ivan,” said Perry. “Because of the unpredictability of the storm, we know visitors who planned to visit us are uncertain about the state of the city. We want to reassure those visitors that we are open for business and completely unscathed.”

All roads and airports are open and accessible into New Orleans, and many travel sites are working with NOMCVB to encourage leisure travel to New Orleans. Southwest Airlines, Travel Weekly and North American Journeys have sent out messages via email and on their Web sites regarding New Orleans’ business as usual status. NOMCVB has contacted cruise lines to ensure regular schedules are back on track, and tourism sales managers have confirmed that FIT & group arrivals are all in tact, with only minor schedule adjustments.

Close to 130,000 NOMCVB convention and tourism customers and more than 50,000 travel agents were sent email updates regarding more information about booking competitive hotel and short-tern meeting rates in the city. Convention sales plans to follow up with sales blitzes to corporate and association meeting planners in Atlanta and Texas metropolitan areas. NOMCVB convention sales managers stayed in touch with meeting planners for upcoming conventions to keep them apprised of storm developments and help make alternative meeting plans, should their arrivals be affected by the storm.

Convention sales managers are in the process of helping those few groups that canceled meetings find new dates for their conferences in New Orleans, many of which are looking to reschedule before the end of the year:

Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association, 280 attendees
National Management Association, 500 attendees
U. S. Junior Chamber, 800 attendees
CLMA, 70 attendees
Hospitality International, 125 attendees
New Orleans Dental Conference, 1,000 attendees
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 10,000 attendees

NOMCVB began yesterday gathering special deals and incentives from members and have already communicated via email and fax to targeted media, travel agents and other travel outlets.

About NOMCVB

Since 1960, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.neworleanscvb.com) has been the driving force behind New Orleans' most important industry, attracting $4.5 billion to the region annually. Nationally recognized for superior customer service, it represents over 1,200 members and provides convention services and visitor information for business travelers and vacationers. Last year, the NOMCVB welcomed a record-breaking 8.5 million visitors to one of America's favorite destinations and was named the Most Media-Friendly CVB by the North American Travel Journalists Association.

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