New Orleans Forever

Hot, humid, crime-infested and poor are some of the words many northerners may use to express their opinions of New Orleans, Louisiana. Its hot, yes. Humid yes, even more so, and the crime rates have definitely risen, just like in almost every other American city, but something can be done about its recovery with the help of the essential industry it thrives on, Tourism.

Misconceptions about this beautiful jewel of the south are that it’s just a party town, people only go to indulge on Bourbon Street, reveling with legions of beer guzzling bead throwers at Mardi Gras. Granted, Mardi Gras should be experienced just for experience sake, but this misunderstood crescent shaped “Island in the Swamp” is so much more than a party.

Having 35,000 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, New Orleans has more than double the amount of Washington DC. To further demonstrate the beauty and culture this city has to offer, National Geographic ranked New Orleans as the sixth best place in the U.S. for a honeymoon. It is also deemed the ‘Hollywood of the South’ due to all the movies and television series that use her unique settings as a backdrop and the celebrities that call it home. You hop on the St Charles streetcar that began in the year 1835, and head west from the French Quarter into the Garden District, rolling past Antebellum mansions, a beautiful award winning park, top colleges and Live Oaks as far as the eye can see…and you realize that you’re somewhere special. A culinary mecca, the birthplace of jazz, and an artists’ sanctuary, people from all walks of life find inspiration here. Hurricane Katrina did not destroy it.

The devastation and flooding that Katrina brought in the week of August 29^th, 2005 no doubt changed the city forever. Many residents rely on the tourism industry, including restaurants, bars, hotels, and tours to sustain their lives. They are the musicians, chefs and artists who make New Orleans the magical place it is. Anyone who watched the newscasts following the disaster would of course have a bad impression in their heads, and make the decision to never travel there. The main point that people need to be made aware of, is that the city was not destroyed; although the residential areas hit, were hit hard. Some neighborhoods are still just as damaged as they were in 2005. There are piles of rubble on the empty lots. There are tilted houses with a large “X” still painted on the front, a haunting reminder of the bodies found or not found within them, but these aren’t travel destinations. There are Katrina tours that will show tourists the devastation, and where the levees breached, but these areas are off the beaten path. One never really needs to ever go to, or see these areas, however the travel industry and businesses in the areas that tourists frequent bring money into the city, and the city’s money funds the revitalization projects.

In December 2004, The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau reported a record number of tourists, 10.1 million for the year. Two years later, after the hurricane, those numbers had dropped by more than half to 3.7 million. During that time, the Convention Bureau also had to cancel 2 billion dollars worth of business, losing conventions, concerts and events to other cities.

A huge contributor to the revitalization of the city was football. The Saints were saints indeed, when the Superdome reopened with Monday Night Football in September of 2006 and they defeated the Atlanta Falcons. The following day, the New Orleans CVB received dozens of calls from clients and CEO’s seeking to bring business to the city. The following year, the Today Show produced a series called, “America the Beautiful” and ranked New Orleans 2^nd on this celebration of beautiful American places. Fast forward to February 2010, and again those Saints came marching in with a Superbowl victory, increasing the amount of visitors again. That same month, New Orleans reports the largest Mardi Gras celebration in 25 years. The rebirth of this unique city had begun, with a spirit that never left, but had been wounded.

New Orleans still needs tourists. The fragrant smells of endless jasmine and bougainvillea under huge oaks and wrought iron lace will welcome you. Music fills your ears around every corner and you will see people of every race nationality and color walking the historic streets. Indulgent gourmet food, solid beautiful architecture, and the most colorful history of any place you’ll ever go will never leave you and she will create a memory in you that will call you back for years to come. Visit

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