Visitors coming back to New Orleans
Thursday, 17 Apr 2008 10:18
New Orleans is experiencing a resurgence in its tourism industry three years on from the devastating hurricane Katrina, according to the latest research.
A survey conducted by the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Centre reveals that the number of visitors to the city rose from 3.7 million in 2006 to 7.1 million in 2007.
Before Katrina New Orleans hosted between 8.5 million and nine million visitors per year and tourism was the city's biggest industry.
Last year events including the French Quarter Festival, Mardi Gras, Family Gras and the Voodoo festival were successful and in the first quarter of 2008 the city hosted an NBA All-Star game and high-profile college football games.
Visitors spent $4.8 billion (£2.4 billion) in New Orleans in 2007, compared to $2.8 billion the previous year.