Crediting an influx of marketing cash from oil giant BP, tourism officials on Monday said 2011 was a banner year for New Orleans, with 8.75 million visitors spending a record-breaking $5.47 billion. Mayor Mitch Landrieu cited a new study by the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center that showed a 5.6 percent increase in the number of visitors compared with 2010, and $180 million bump in spending.
Mark Romig, president of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., said tourism agencies last year had $3.8 million more than the $5.1 million they'd expected because of the oil firm's contribution. The extra cash allowed for TV and print ad campaigns that reached major metropolitan markets across the country, he said.
To keep the growth line heading skyward, the city's tourism agencies this year plan to spend another $1.2 million in BP cash and also "are going to have to spend some of our rainy-day dollars to maintain that marketing level," Romig said.
With the bulk of visitors last year hailing from nearby states, tourism officials want to expand advertising efforts to markets including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City, said Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.
City and tourism leaders also plan to lobby for new local taxes on lodging, food, beverages and hotel parking within a new downtown "hospitality zone," with potential revenue dedicated to infrastructure and public service improvements within the zone, as well as marketing.
The tax proposals, authored at Landrieu's request by state Sen. Ed Murray and Rep. Walt Leger, both New Orleans Democrats, must be approved by the Legislature, the City Council and a majority of New Orleans voters.
"As we talk about jobs across the United States of America, this is something that's blowing and going in the city of New Orleans," Landrieu said, noting that the city's tourism sector added 3,000 jobs for a total 74,000 jobs in 2011. "The city of New Orleans is punching way above its weight."
Landrieu, who served as the state's top tourism official during his seven-year tenure as lieutenant governor, pointed to New Orleans' authentic culture as a major draw for visitors.
"What you saw here today is empirical evidence that this is creating jobs, creating tax revenue," he said, adding that tourism officials have set as a goal of attracting 13.7 million visitors -- with an $11 billion economic impact -- by the city's 300th anniversary in 2018.
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