***CVB President Stephen Perry Available for Live Interviews on Tuesday May 11 beginning at 6 a.m. to discuss Impact of Tourism Industry on Every New Orleanian as CVB Celebrates 50th Anniversary***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Kelly Schulz 
504-421-0962 mobile
kschulz@neworleanscvb.com

Tara Letort 
504-566-5019 
tletort@neworleanscvb.com

New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Celebrates 50th Anniversary
and Value of $7 Billion Tourism Industry to New Orleans Citizens
May 11th National Tourism Week Business Expo and Luncheon will celebrate accomplishments from the past and the bright future for the city’s main economic engine

NEW ORLEANS – May 10, 2010 – More than 700 members of the hospitality industry, elected officials and local media will gather on Tuesday, May 11 to celebrate the CVB's 50th anniversary and the importance of the $7 billion tourism industry to economic development, the cultural economy, jobs for 70,000 locals, preservation of our authentic culture and an enhanced quality of life for every citizen of New Orleans.

The event will be held at the New Orleans Marriott, 555 Canal St., on the Third Floor in the Bissonet, Carondelet rooms. It opens at 11 a.m. with a Business Expo and the Luncheon will be held from Noon until 1:30 p.m.

The New Orleans CVB has the broadest reach and most annual impact of any economic development organization in the state, as it generates $200-225 million in direct tax revenues for the city, more tax revenues, and has more national and international impact on the brand of New Orleans than any other business sector.

Here’s a snapshot of how far the local tourism industry has come since the creation of the CVB 50 years ago:

  Then (1960)  Now 
Visitors to New Orleans  2.7 million (1969)  7.5 million (2009 year end) 
Visitor Spending  $223 million (1969)  $4.2 billion (2009 year end) 
Convention Attendees  68,000 attendees  782,410 attendees (2010 projection) 
Number of Hotel Rooms  4,160 rooms   35,500 rooms 
CVB Members  318 1,010  
Hospitality Industry Jobs  15,000   Nearly 70,000 
Economic Impact of Tourism  $190 million  $7 billion 

Facts about the Tourism Industry:
· If the New Orleans hospitality industry did not exist, every family in Louisiana would need to pay $2,702 more in taxes annually to offset the deficit.
· One out of every 12 people in Louisiana is employed as a result of the tourism industry.
· Every dollar invested in tourism advertising returns $17 in tax revenue.

Tourism is a broad industry, including chefs, street performers, musicians, bellmen, artists, housekeepers, sales and marketing professionals, drivers, florists, shop owners, hotels, restaurants, retail, sporting arenas, music venues, museums, galleries, tour guides, theaters, destination management companies, riverboats, audio visual/technology providers, decorators, meeting and convention venues, casino gaming, tour operators and more.

Tourism creates hotel and sales tax revenue for the city and state benefiting:

  • Increased city services to every citizen in New Orleans
  • New Orleans Public Schools
  • Tens of millions of dollars of new cash flow to the state general fund
  • New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Louisiana Superdome and the New Orleans Arena
  • New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Hornets
  • New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
  • Accelerated Katrina recovery
  • Preservation of our authentic culture
  • An enhanced quality of life for every citizen of New Orleans.

In its 50 years, the CVB has led the hospitality industry through challenges such as Hurricanes Betsy, Katrina, Rita and Gustav, September 11th and multiple economic downturns. Now recognized as one of top five CVBs in the country for customer service and innovation, New Orleans has unprecedented representation in national travel and tourism matters.

For example, Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans CVB, became one of only two urban destination CEOs in the country selected by the Obama Administration to serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and advise U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Locke and the President of the United States on all key matters relating to national travel and tourism policy.

In July, Mr. Perry will ascend to the Chairman of the Board position for Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), the international governing body of convention and visitor bureaus. He continues to serve as an Executive Committee member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association, the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $770 billion travel industry.

In December 2009, the New Orleans CVB became one of only 101 destination marketing organizations in the world to receive accreditation from DMAI’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program for attaining excellence and meeting rigorous industry standards for brand management, governance, stakeholder relationships, innovation and more.

The New Orleans CVB is the driving catalyst for New Orleans’ largest industry, strategically leading national and international marketing, public relations and visitor services efforts that attract millions of visitors, events, conventions and festivals that produce billions of dollars of economic growth, tens of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of millions of taxes for the state and city. Recognized as one of the top five in the United States, the CVB raises private capital and utilizes one percent of New Orleans hotel tax as its primary funding sources to drive this powerful industry. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com.

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