NOCVB: Tourism Matters 2017

TOURISM MATTERS National Travel & Tourism Week

NEW ORLEANS

CONVENTION & VISITO RS B U RE AU M AY 2 0 1 7

PLAN YOUR

WEEK ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++

EVENTS TO ENJOY DURING NATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WEEK

TUESDAY » MAY 9

MARK YOUR

Join the New Orleans CVB and the hospitality industry for a parade celebrating the power of tourism!

CHECK OUT OUR P CELEBR AST ATIONS ON PAG E6

8:30 A.M. Gather at Tableau, 616 St. Peter St.

Parade beginning at Tableau in the French Quarter, ending at the Capital One Pavilion on the riverfront, immediately followed by a “toast” from the New Orleans CVB.

PJ Morton + Andrew Duhon 5-8 P.M. CVB TENT AT LAFAYETTE SQUARE

WEDNESDAY » MAY 17 Job Fest NOON-3 P.M. STALLING ST. CLAUDE CENTER, 4300 ST. CLAUDE AVE.

02

MAY 2017 [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ]

ECLIPSE AWARDS Join the CVB in presenting more than 15 awards to hospitality industry workers from across the city at this red-carpet evening awards ceremony. A call for nominee submissions will be announced soon.

More information at www.neworleanscvb.com/NTTW

YLC Wednesday at the Square

FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY’S FIRST

MARCH 2018!

9:00 A.M.

WEDNESDAY » MAY 10

CALENDARS

THURSDAY » MAY 11 Jazz in the Park Bag of Donuts + David Batiste and Sons 4-8:30 P.M. CVB TENT AT ARMSTRONG PARK

NOLA Talk 5:30-8 P.M. STERN HALL AT NOMA REGISTER AT NEWORLEANSWILL.COM

SPECIAL THANKS TO

A

MESSAGE FROM THE

&

PRESIDENT/CEO

CVB

CHAIRMAN

OF THE BOARD ++++++++++++++++

Dear Friends of the New Orleans CVB, We are pleased to report that as we move into the second quarter of 2017, our strategies for impacting convention sales and leisure travel through marketing, public relations and customer service are producing results. In March of this year, we received UNO’s visitor survey which revealed that in 2016, visitors to New Orleans spent $7.41 billion dollars, a 5.1 percent increase compared to the visitor spending record set in 2015, and the city hosted a record-breaking 10.45 million visitors, the highest since 2004 and a 6.9 percent increase compared to 2015.

The impact of this growth in tourism and tourism spending is profound. These results prove that we are not just continuing the visitation and visitor spending growth that we have delivered over the past seven years, but our efforts are now pushing beyond historic highs in both categories. These achievements are the result of a strategy that attracts a combination of carefully targeted convention business and leisure travelers through tactics which leverage paid media, earned public relations exposure and special events to market New Orleans to the world. As the state continues to grapple with budget deficits, the New Orleans tourism industry grows ever stronger, adding much needed jobs and tax revenue to our economy.

Our convention sales team’s expertise and efforts in direct sales, targeted marketing, partnerships, bid facilitation, negotiation and contracting have squarely positioned New Orleans within the STR Top 25 of our competitive set in the categories of occupancy and average daily rate.

The actualized number of meetings that the NOCVB sales team secured last year was 1,098, resulting in estimated 998,775 attendees visiting our city. The estimated spend these visitors generated was $1,174,535,880 and that is attendee spend only, which does not include ancillary business-to-business spending that we know took place.

Future production remained strong throughout 2016 as well. The total number of future meetings booked was 1,214 with an estimated attendee count of 1,512,027. The estimated spend of these visitors is $1,778,143,752, again, not counting ancillary business-to-business spend.

Our strategy for increasing visitation and visitor spending growth includes attracting more international visitors. An important plank in that strategy was laid down in June of 2016 when we hosted the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, the largest international travel trade show in the country and the largest generator of travel to the United States. This event welcomed three days of intensive pre-scheduled business appointments, two evening events, more than a dozen tours and dine-around nights that showcased our unique culture to an audience of 6,000, including 1,300 international and domestic buyers and 500 qualified travel writers from more than 70 countries. We anticipate that this will result in 500,000 more international visitors to New Orleans over the next couple of years, bringing our international visitation to one million by 2018—our Tricentennial.

Sincerely,

Michael O. Smith Hyatt Regency New Orleans 2017 Chairman of the Board New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau

Another very important initiative in our focus on international visitors was firmly established in March of this year when British Airways (BA) began its non-stop service from London Heathrow to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Upon the arrival of the inaugural flight, BA announced that they intended to include an additional daily route to their New Orleans schedule for a total of five, non-stop flights between New Orleans and London each week. After four years of negotiations, we have arrived at the partnership for which we had hoped. For BA to add an additional day of service to New Orleans is a huge vote of confidence in the flight and proof that there is pent up demand in the UK and Europe for travel to New Orleans.

Condor Airlines began its non-stop service from Frankfurt, Germany on May 3 and Copa Airlines celebrates its two-year anniversary providing non-stop service from Panama this summer. New Orleans has never had this level of international air connectivity. This bodes well for our city’s and our state’s economies since we know that international visitors stay longer and spend more money.

On issues within our city, our industry has established itself as a convener of thought leaders and a problem-solving force on issues ranging from French Quarter safety to unemployment. Moving forward, we intend to focus on the community’s needs to help provide solutions for workforce development, support for a low barrier shelter for the homeless, and quality of life, social issues and governmental policies that could negatively impact us. We recognize the strength and might of our industry that employs 86,000 people and funds 35 percent of the city’s operating budget. We will continue to build bridges between our industry and the community to ensure that everyone feels invested in New Orleans tourism and that all New Orleanians benefit from the popularity of our great city.

Thank you for your continued support. Please contact us at 504.566.5019 or sperry@neworleanscvb.com if you have any questions or suggestions on how to make New Orleans tourism even better.

Stephen Perry President and CEO New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau

[ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ] MAY 2017

03

thefeeling

You know There’s no place else on the planet that resonates with our burnished roux of ethnic and historic overlay.

04

Y

ou’re away from home and somebody asks you where you’re from. You say “New Orleans” and a hush falls over the room. All of a sudden, you’re a rock star!

“I’ve always wanted to go there.” “I was just there and it was amazing!” “You are so lucky to live there!” And you just smile and nod.

We do know. We know how magical and completely otherworldly New Orleans is. And in increasing droves, visitors from

MAY 2017 [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ]

all over the planet are getting in on the action.

2016 WOWS

The tourism numbers are in for 2016 and as expected, they’re huge. For the first time since Katrina, we passed the 10 millionvisitor mark, 10.45 to be exact, the strongest influx of leisure, business and group travel since 2004 and a 6.9 percent increase over 2015. Those visitors spent $7.41 billion dollars – that’s

BY BETH D’ADANO FREELANCE WRITER & NEW ORLEANS NATIVE

billion with a b - 5.1 percent more than the record set in 2015.

Judging from the big wins scored in the past year, it’s no doubt that the city is on fire. Early in 2016, New Orleans hosted IPW, a travel marketplace that drew thousands of media and travel buyers to town. When the NBA pulled the All-Star Game out of North Carolina, New Orleans was the big winner, proving that we celebrate diversity in all incarnations. On December 31, Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s

CVB Eve featured New Orleans for the first time ever. In full-throttle expansion mode, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport welcomed British Airways service from the UK and Condor Air from Frankfurt - the first flights from Europe to MSY in more than 30 years. Add in a flurry of new or newly renovated hotels – 18 since 2015 – and more than 1,500 restaurants, and the stage is set for New Orleans’ particular brand of southern hospitality.

THE “THERE THERE”

Everybody wants to be here and we get it. There’s no place else on the planet that resonates with our burnished roux of ethnic and historic overlay, a particular je ne sais quoi that is impossible to replicate. Long home to makers of music, art, cuisine and cocktails, New Orleans resonates because of its people. The pride of place, of customs, of school, of tradition, that’s the “there there”, the immutable absolute brilliance that captures hearts and entices visitors to stay a while, even a lifetime.

Tourism works because of this, and because of the people who deliver service day in and day out, during crowded festivals, during summer weather, during Mardi Gras and any old time. The food, the music, the dancing, the shopping, the architecture - it all adds up to the only-in-New Orleans-mojo fueled by an army of service providers hard-wired for hospitality.

THEY MAKE IT HAPPEN

“We see all kinds of guests who want to be part of the culture and the neighborhood,” said Kristi Artigues, Director of Sales and Marketing for The Troubadour Hotel in the CBD, which employs a team of 230. One of a slew of new properties in the CBD, The Troubadour opened in December, a stylish 184-room boutique hotel with live music daily, a hot rooftop

bar and Petit Lion restaurant from chef Philip Lopez. “The Troubadour is clearly at the right place at the right time,” she said.

Across town on lower Decatur Street in the French Quarter, Sbisa Executive Chef and Co-owner, Alfred Singleton is contemplating a dozen soft-shelled crabs, fresh from the seafood dock in Hopedale, LA. Singleton, who hails from the Lower Ninth Ward, manages a 30-person team that can take care of as many as 270 guests, including 25 on the outdoor balcony and 25 in the private courtyard. “We’ve been back for six months now, and tourism couldn’t be more important to us,” said Singleton. “We’re building a base of regular locals, but it’s the visitors and the groups that keep us busy.” Singleton has seen an increasing number of international guests at his tables

and hopes for more as new European flights gain traction.

Upriver from Sbisa, Royal Carriages is one of a handful of operators offering mule-drawn carriage rides. The 75-year-old family-owned company employs about 40 people, owns and cares for 68 mules, and operates 213 carriage permits. “More than 90 percent of our business is visitors coming into New Orleans,” said Nancy Landry, Customer Experience Manager. Despite a spike in competition, “there are more than 200 tour operators around town now,” the Royal Carriage offers a seminal New Orleans experience. “We love our visitors.”

Tourism’s tendrils reach far beyond the French Quarter into every city neighborhood.

The recently renovated nine-

room Sully Mansion B&B in the Lower Garden District is a case in point. “We saw a huge opportunity in our location and neighborhood,” said Emery Finegan, assistant marketing for Inhab Development, which purchased Sully in December.

“We see tour groups all day every day on Prytania,” she said.

“Without tourists, Sully would just be another pretty house on the block.”

Without its people, its neighbors and workers, visitors and groups, families and artists, New Orleans would just be another dot on the map. Instead, it’s the best place to be in America, maybe even the world.

Where are we from?

New Orleans… now don’t be jealous.

[ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ] MAY 2017

05

NATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WEEK THROUGH THE YEARS… THE TOURISM INDUSTRY PROVIDES MORE THAN

86,000

STABLE JOBS

FOR NEW ORLEANIANS. IT SUPPORTS INFRASTRUCTURAL RESOURCES. INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR CITY RECEIVE FUNDING FROM SALES TAX REVENUE COLLECTED, AND WITH

VISITORS SPENDING MORE THAN

#1 JOB

$7 BILLION

IN OUR CITY IN A YEAR, OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS MORE AND MORE FUNDS TO UTILIZE.

GROWTH

SECTOR IN

NEW

ORLEANS

9 0 0

2

• Paraded from the Astor Crowne Plaza to Spanish Plaza • 7.5 million visitors • $4.2 billion visitor spending 06

0 1 0

2

• Paraded from the Astor Crowne Plaza to Spanish Plaza • 8.3 million visitors • $5.3 billion visitor spending

MAY 2017 [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ]

1 1 0

2

• Paraded from the Astor Crowne Plaza to Spanish Plaza • 8.75 million visitors • $5.47 billion visitor spending

2 1 0

2

• Paraded from the Hotel Monteleone to the Cabildo • 9.1 million visitors • $6 billion visitor spending

•

• •

IT COLLECTS MORE THAN

$155

MILLION IN LOCAL SALES TAX REVENUE.

EVERY HOUSEHOLD WOULD

THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY HAS INVESTED MORE THAN

$1,192

MORE PAY IN TAXES ANNUALLY.

$31.65 MILLION TOWARD IMPROVING SAFETY IN NEW ORLEANS.

2

3 1 0

• Paraded from the Royal Sonesta to Tableau Restaurant • 9.28 million visitors • $6.47 billion visitor spending

4 1 0

2

• Paraded from the Loews New Orleans Hotel to Champion Square/Club XLIV • 9.52 million visitors • $6.81 billion visitor spending

5 1 0

2

• Pep rally for tourism at the House of Blues • 9.78 million visitors • $7.05 billion visitor spending

2017

WITHOUT THAT REVENUE,

More details on page 2.

• Parades from Tableau into the French Quarter!

CVB

6 1 0

2

• Paraded from the Royal Sonesta into the French Quarter • 10.45 million visitors • $7.41 billion in visitor spending

[ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ] MAY 2017

0

GETTING TO

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

N.O.

NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU PROUDLY HONORS

NOW

THIS YEAR’S KING AND QUEEN OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM! ++++++++++++++++++++++++

IN AN INDUSTRY THAT EMPLOYS MORE THAN 86,000 LOCALS, there are many superstar employ-

ees that are the epitome of opportunity in the tourism industry. New to this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week, the CVB honors Pat Coulter, General Manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites New Orleans Downtown, and Corey Bourgeois, Kitchen Manager of Palace Café.

Pat Coulter started in hotel housekeeping, and after nine months, worked her up to the front desk then managed entire properties. Last year, she moved to New Orleans to guide the new Fairfield Inn & Suites New Orleans Downtown/French Quarter as General Manager. “My housekeeping experience is the foundation of my success. That experience ties all of the room-operation together. If we don’t have clean rooms, we don’t have rooms to sell. People are not going to buy dirt. My success comes from the understanding and appreciation of the housekeeping department.”

More than 17 years ago, Corey started at 16 years old as a dishwasher at Palace Café, and once he got involved with aspects of the kitchen, he quickly realized this went from a job to a career. “What I love most about my job is taking care of people and making sure they get that 100% excellent dining experience,” said Corey. “You can’t go wrong by working in hospitality. The jobs will always be here. People need to eat, people want to travel, so this is one of the industries that will always be vital in our city.”

Join us in honoring the King and Queen of the 2017 National Travel and Tourism Week Parade in New Orleans!

08

MAY 2017 [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ]

OUT WITH THE OLD,

IN WITH THE NOW! NEW ORLEANS WILL HAS A NEW LOOK. VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE WHAT’S NEW: > Career Pathways in the hospitality and tourism industry

Stories of inspiring industry workers and organizations >

Tourism’s economic impact in our city >

Upcoming Job Fests and events around town >

NEW ORLEANS WILL is a campaign cre-

ated by the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to advocate for the hospitality and tourism industry. Tourism is the city’s largest industry, employing more than 86,000 New Orleanians and generating billions of dollars for our local and regional economy. NEW ORLEANS WILL is raising awareness among locals that while visitors may come and go, their dollars stay here — and ripple through the community to fund city services, jobs and improve the quality of life for every New Orleanian.

Get in the know: neworleanswill.com

INSIDE VIEUX

CVB

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

LATEST NEWS FROM THE CVB TOURISM

BIG INTERNATIONAL WINS FOR THE BIG EASY

I

nternational visitors are traveling to New Orleans, and more are on their way. The past year put New Orleans in the global spotlight like never before.

In addition to hosting more than 1,300 of the world’s most important travel buyers and 500 of the world’s travel journalists in New Orleans for the US Travel Association’s IPW conference in June 2016, the Tourism Sales team is participating in numerous international

sales missions each year, all targeting markets with the highest potential of growth and visitation. The New Orleans CVB in New Orleans, along with reps in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Brazil and China, are seeing the demand for leisure group bookings to New Orleans increase as a direct result.

Additionally, two European airlines, British Airways and Condor Airlines, announced new direct service from Louis

Armstrong International to London and Frankfurt, Germany. “The British and German travelers have never had an easier way to get to New Orleans, and it’s never been easier for New Orleanians to visit Europe,” says Kim Priez, Senior Vice President of Tourism at the New Orleans CVB. “It’s an exciting time as these two flights will bring a more sophisticated traveler to New Orleans.” International travelers stay an average

of 5 nights in New Orleans and spend 30% more than a domestic traveler.

With the major gains in European travel, the New Orleans CVB continues to grow its global focus. The new addition of a Chinesebased sales and marketing firm, East West Marketing Corp., will extend New Orleans’ marketing and direct sales initiatives into China, a growing market that welcomes more than 2.5 million travelers into the U.S.

[ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ] MAY 2017

09

INSIDE VIEUX LATEST NEWS FROM THE CVB +++++++++++++++++++++++++

CONVENTION SALES

FUTURE BUSINESS IS GROWING Conventions and meetings are the quiet tide within tourism. While meeting attendees may be less in number than our leisure visitors, their impact is felt throughout the variety of businesses and attractions they visit while in town.

Last year alone, the CVB sales team secured 1,098 meetings resulting in an estimated 998,775 attendees visiting our city, generating $1,174,535,880 in economic impact – and that does not include business-to-business spending that organizers invest with service providers such as venues, transportation, entertainment, caterers, florists, signage companies, temporary labor, security and many others.

10

MAY 2017 [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ]

“The heavy hitters are big events such as Super Bowl games and the NBA All-Star Game during weekend of Mardi Gras this year, which we won in an unusually short seven-week bid. But every month we have many groups in the city that are bringing their organizations to New Orleans as a steady stream of support that allows us to have a strong industry.

From VIP groups as few as ten people, to associations and corporations representing thousands of attendees, the bulk of our business comes and goes, enjoying the city and supporting our local community with much less fanfare,” said Cara Banasch, MBA, Vice President of Business Development & Strategy.

While every competitive city has the air lift, technology and facilities to accommodate groups, New Orleans’ unique culture, cuisine, history and music are major draws for marketing to planners. Our team is more experienced than nearly any in the country and act as consultants to develop solutions and creatively broker deals across multiple businesses and stakeholders that allow us to package New Orleans aggressively against our top competition.

New Orleans has an advantage over other cities which is not replicable – our people. Hospitality is not a gateway industry that people try then move on – it is a career and the traditions of travel and welcoming the world come naturally to our local community.

“People feel a pride of place and naturally enjoy sharing it with others, which is not something that our customers experience to the same extent anywhere else.”

LATEST NEWS FROM THE CVB

VIEUX INSIDE +++++++++++++++++++++++++

MEMBERSHIP

CVB

CONNECTIONS TRADESHOW

YOUR ONE-STOP EVENT PLANNING SOLUTION The dedicated CVB membership team connects our more than 1,100 members to diverse opportunities to promote their business. This summer, don’t miss the CONNECTIONS: The Corporate Planning Expo tradeshow hosted by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. This expo brings together CVB supplier members and event planners from all industries in the metro area to make event planning easy. Meet companies that can assist you with hotel accommodations, restaurant reservations, party-

planning and much more!

This tradeshow is free for customers and lunch will be provided!

Whether you plan events for a living or handle arrangements for clients coming to New Orleans, this turnkey event will connect you with more than 75 local businesses who can take the hard work out of planning.

Are you a CVB member that wants to exhibit? This year we will have lots of options for exhibitors, such as custom booth sizes, ability to offer entertainment within your

space, increased exhibitor exposure opportunities, etc. We are ramping up our efforts this year to engage even more attendees and introduce them to our industry for those tough to plan meetings and events.

Share this information with anyone you feel should attend. Contact the Membership department at 504-5665027 or membership@neworleanscvb. com with questions or to provide contact information to receive more information and invitations to this event.

COMMUNICATIONS

WE HELP THE BIG EASY MAKE THE BIG HEADLINES New Orleans is making headlines and catching eyes across the country and globe thanks to the special work contributed by the Communications and Public Relations team at the New Orleans CVB. In 2016, the team assisted more than 2,300 journalists and placed more than 980 stories in both national and international publications, including Forbes, Family Circle, Passport, Travel + Leisure, TravelAge West, American

Way and Hemisphere’s.

The Communications and Public Relations team will continue to promote the city as a top travel destination, win awards and break records as they introduce a partnership with Percepture, their new national agency of record, who joined in March of this year.

As the year progresses, there are several future projects on the horizon. The summer welcomes our

popular campaigns, including ‘Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown’ and ‘COOLinary New Orleans Restaurant Month’, both aimed to help promote and support local businesses. The city’s Tricentennial in 2018 will also bring excitement and media to the city, as we gear up to celebrate New Orleans’ 300th birthday.

We would not be able to showcase our unique city without the help of our loyal members who make these opportunities possible. If your business is interested in working with the CVB and incoming media, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com to get more information on how to get involved. [ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ] MAY 2017

11