Dear Friends of New Orleans & Company,  

I am pleased to share that New Orleans has been named the #2 Favorite City in the US by Travel+Leisure readers, moving up from the fifth spot last year. We topped Charleston, South Carolina, which had ranked first in this survey for the past 12 years. The number one spot this year went to Santa Fe. Readers praised New Orleans’ festivals, jazz clubs, independent hotels, our food and atmosphere. We are happy to receive the recognition.  Let’s keep the momentum!

Speaking of momentum, huge thanks to our partners at Carnival Cruise Line for expanding its capacity in New Orleans! Carnival continues to be the only cruise line with two ships homeported year-round in New Orleans and is moving the larger Carnival Dream back in May 2027, joining Carnival Liberty. New Orleans is one of the country’s most popular cruise ports with many travelers adding a pre- or post-cruise vacation. And we are days away from the of a new rail service, the Amtrak Mardi Gras, connecting New Orleans and Mobile. This new rail service is a significant development for regional tourism and commerce.

It’s another busy summer week in New Orleans with COOLinary, Museum Month, Xfinity Gymnastics Championships, NOLA PickleFest, Red Dress Run and much more. If you have not already had a meal at one of the more than 140 restaurants offering COOLinary, I encourage you to do so. Two course lunches are available for $28 or less and three-course brunches and dinners are $58 or less. August is the perfect time to rediscover the magic of New Orleans … why not take a mini vacation right here at home by booking a hotel stay, dining in our restaurants and exploring our museums and other cultural gems? Check out our new ads at this link.

Everything we do at New Orleans & Company is designed to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people. Below are some of the high points of the work our team is doing toward our strategic goals.

Strategic Goal One: Deliver the Most Innovative and Exceptional Sales and Service

  • The Convention Sales team is actively building and championing a world-class brand by meeting face-to-face with current and prospective customers across the country. Their strategic participation in key industry events includes CEMA, ConferenceDirect CDX, IEEE, Destinations International, HPN Global Partner Conference and Maritz Activate.
  • Huge thanks to Rachel Avery, Allison Comboy and all of our partners for flawlessly hosting 20,000 guests for the LCMS Triennial Youth Gathering in late July. We are so grateful to LCMS for continuing to choose New Orleans and to their young people who did volunteer service projects with 50 local groups, leaving a lasting impact on our community.

Strategic Goal Two: Make New Orleans a Great Place to Live, Work and Visit

  • A new Downtown Discount Parking Program, created by the City of New Orleans Office of Nighttime Economy, offers discounted parking rates for workers in the French Quarter, CBD, Marigny and Treme areas. By providing access to dedicated, lower-cost parking, this program helps make it more affordable for hospitality employees to work in the heart of the city. For details and eligibility, please visit nola.gov/downtowndiscount.
  • Our Membership and External Affairs team is recognizing the everyday contributions of our hospitality workers with Random Acts of Kindness. We’ve selected 20 local businesses to receive small treats and tokens of appreciation as a heartfelt thank-you. These surprise gestures are our way of showing gratitude for the frontline ambassadors who represent our city with pride, warmth, and authenticity. Thanks for making New Orleans one of the most welcoming destinations in the world.

Strategic Goal Three: Create and Own a Clear, World-Class Brand for New Orleans

  • An expanded COOLinary ad campaign kicked off last month, promoting summer travel to New Orleans by positioning New Orleans as a "cool" destination for August, with COOLinary dining deals as the hook. The campaign targets five distinct audiences in 150+ mile radius, including Lafayette, Mobile, and Jackson, MS. Additionally, via a partnership with Sojern, we're serving a million social ads to audiences in key regional markets actively searching for travel. That campaign will run through September 6.
  • Last month we announced a partnership with San Francisco-based Mindtrip, a travel platform that leverages proprietary AI to make travel exciting, easy and fun. Using the strength of neworleans.com, Mindtrip’s AI platform will help travelers discover the magic of New Orleans with actionable and personalized trip plans, all in moments. Check out this beautiful video Mindtrip sent to their national database as an example of New Orleans & Company’s innovation and excellence.

Strategic Goal Four: Restore International Tourism

  • New Orleans & Company's Mexico representative attended the Outlet Viaja y Vuela travel consumer show in conjunction with one of the largest tour operators; Price Travel. At this one event, we confirmed more than 200 bookings for New Orleans. 
  • Our Senior Manager of International PR Diana Hernandez, in partnership with the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the Ascension Parish Tourism Commission, executed a strategic PR mission promoting the "Year of Food" at National Geographic Traveller Food Festival in London last month. This high-profile event attracted more than 6,000 attendees, media representatives, and trade journalists, providing a significant platform to highlight our culinary identity and rich cultural history. Tyler Spreen, Chef de Cuisine at Herbsaint Restaurant, and Soux Chef Sam Whittington, served freshly-made boudin, led cooking demonstrations, spoke at an influencer activation at the Traverse's Waypoint conference, conducted media interviews and much more.

Thanks for your partnership. We will be in touch again soon.

Sincerely,

Walter J. Leger III
President & CEO
New Orleans & Company