NEW ORLEANS – (March 5, 2018) – New Orleans has long been a home to the LGBT community, from the early days of Tennessee Williams and Clay Shaw to modern day New Orleans Pride and Southern Decadence revelry. As the city celebrates its Tricentennial, New Orleans has been recognized as a top LGBT destination in the United States by three popular LGBT publications.
- Best of GayCities 2017 named New Orleans the number two spot on their Readers’ Poll for “Most Welcoming City 2017.”
- Best of GayCities 2017 named New Orleans’ Mardi Gras the number one festival destination of its “Festival Destination Winners 2017.”
- Best of GayCities 2017 named New Orleans’ ‘Good Friends Bar’ the number two “Best Bar/Club city for 2017.”
- Advocate listed New Orleans at the number five spot for its “Queerest Cities in America 2017.”
- SeniorAdvice.com 2018 named New Orleans a top twenty “LGBT-Friendly Retirement community.”
“As one of the most diverse cities in the world, we are proud to be recognized in this way,” said Mark Romig, President and CEO, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC). “Even in our 300th year, while celebrating New Orleans’ Tricentennial, being noted as a ‘best gay city’ continues a long tradition of acceptance of all people, no matter their lifestyles or beliefs.”
NOTMC, in cooperation with NOCVB, came together with agency Communify in 2014 to create the New Orleans LGBT Hospitality Alliance (NOLHA) to build camaraderie and cross promotion among community leaders and LGBT event organizations. The group is credited with helping support the growth of New Orleans’ hallmark LGBT events, including the Mardi Gras social club Krewe of Armeinius, which sold out its 2018 50th anniversary ball, the New Orleans Pride Parade, and Southern Decadence, the largest LGBT event in the city.
“For 300 years New Orleans has always embraced people from all different walks of life,” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB). “These awards prove to the world what we’ve always known about New Orleans – it’s a destination that values diversity, tolerance and joy of life, and welcomes all visitors with an attitude of acceptance.”
Additionally, New Orleans received national recognition in 2017 for its ‘Reverse Parade’ online video, created to symbolize its diversity and ‘always open’ attitude. It received over ten million views.
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About New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC)
NOTMC promotes the city as a leisure tourism destination throughout the year. Annually, NOTMC’s marketing campaigns include strategic digital and broadcast TV advertising, social media and public relations. Websites: NewOrleans.com; neworleansonline.com; followyourNOLA.com; GoNOLA.com. Social Media: Facebook.com/NewOrleans; Twitter.com/visitneworleans; YouTube.com/gonolatv; Instagram.com/visitneworleans;
About New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOCVB)
NOCVB is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Chicago, Columbia, SC, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Brazil and China. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 58th anniversary in 2018. For more information, please visit www.neworleans.com; www.facebook.com/neworleans; www.twitter.com/VisitNewOrleans.
Media Contacts:
Lauren Cason, New Orleans CVB, 504-729-7743, lcason@neworleanscvb.com
Lea Sinclair, NOTMC, 504-491-5330, lea@notmc.com
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