Dear Friends of New Orleans & Company,
It was a historic celebration in New Orleans as we hosted Sail 250 and North America’s 50 Best, two events that highlight our city’s significance to global commerce, culture and cuisine.
Sail 250 New Orleans was a tremendous success as our city served as the first stop in the country for the national celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. For one unforgettable week, the mighty Mississippi became the backdrop for international friendship, maritime heritage, cultural exchange and community celebration.
According to our data, 125,000 visitors came to the riverfront for Sail 250 between the dates of May 28-31, which is up 500 percent over the same dates in 2025. In addition to Sail 250, we hosted North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, multiple meetings and conventions and Memorial Day weekend travelers. Looking more broadly to the entire French Quarter and downtown area, we welcomed 454,000 visitors between the dates of May 28–31, which is up by 52.3 percent or 140,000 visitors compared to the same dates in 2025.
Thank you to Governor Jeff Landry, the Port of New Orleans, Mayor Helena Moreno, the New Orleans City Council, our corporate and individual sponsors, and every partner who helped make this historic event possible.
Also, I want to recognize several members of our New Orleans & Company team who went above and beyond to bring Sail 250 to life: Mark Romig, Tara Stackpole, Mary Beth Romig and Erin Samanie. Their dedication and countless hours of work, along with Ashley Stagg and Justin Boone of NOCCI, helped ensure this event reflected the very best of New Orleans. Please read more here and my recent guest column on the importance of the Mississippi River is here.
In addition, New Orleans & Company brought North America’s 50 Best restaurant awards to the city on May 28th, when the list of the top 50 restaurants in North America was revealed. The event brought some of the most influential chefs, restaurateurs, food journalists, and hospitality leaders from across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean to New Orleans. During the second annual award ceremony, Emeril Lagasse received a special honor, the Seven Rooms Icon Award. Emeril’s made the list at number 20. Dakar NOLA was number four on the top 50 list and also was named Best Restaurant in the South USA. Acamaya ranked as number 30. For the full list, please click here.
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 a few highlights of our work toward achieving our strategic goals.
Strategic Goal One: Deliver the Most Innovative and Exceptional Sales and Service.
Our PR and Convention Sales teams hosted eight of the meetings industry’s most influential reporters last week for a press trip to showcase why New Orleans is Built to Host. They received the latest updates on the Omni Hotel development and upgrades at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from Jim Cook and Elaine Williams; visited the Audubon Aquarium for a wellness experience; and attended Sail 250 and North America’s 50 Best events. They had amazing meals at Delacroix and Commanders Palace and enjoyed free time to explore our neighborhoods on their own. One article from JT Long of Smart Meetings has already been published, with more to come.
Congratulations to Fay Nedd, MS, CGMP, HMCC, Director of National Accounts on our Convention Sales team, for receiving the inaugural Community Partner Award at the ConferenceDirect Black Associates Council Awards. ConferenceDirect is a full-service global meeting and event management company. This recognition honors Fay’s leadership, partnership and commitment to strengthening connections across the meetings and events industry. Also worth celebrating, New Orleans was ranked number seven among the Top 25 Domestic Destinations, reflecting the continued momentum of our city and the incredible work of our sales team.
Strategic Goal Two: Make New Orleans a Great Place to Live, Work and Visit.
Our team was proud to partner with businesses along Lower Decatur to support the Rock the Block party, which encouraged residents and visitors to patronize the restaurants, shops, bars and small businesses that have been impacted by ongoing construction. The event was a great success, with businesses seeing an increase in foot traffic throughout the day. Please continue to support the businesses on the 900 to 1200 blocks of Lower Decatur. Our local businesses are the heartbeat of New Orleans, and they need our support year-round.
We are also now accepting nominations for the third cohort of the Hospitality & Tourism Professional Certificate Program, offered in partnership with LSU Continuing Education. This free program for New Orleans & Company members and their employers is designed for managers, supervisors and rising stars who want to sharpen their skills in exceptional guest service, effective communication, emotional intelligence, conflict management and professionalism. Nominations are open through June 12, and classes begin July 7. Please nominate members of your team here.
Strategic Goal Three: Create and Own a Clear, World-Class Brand for New Orleans.
Our team is working diligently to drive summer business. We are leveraging the momentum of our spring marketing efforts with refreshed summer creative designed to inspire and motivate visitation from our regional drive market and three of our largest direct-flight markets: Atlanta, Houston and Dallas.
The campaign kicks off in early June and will run through August, blending video, display, a premium publisher partnership, social media and PR. The messaging speaks directly to luxury travelers and culture-seeking premium audiences, inviting them to experience New Orleans during a season full of music, food, culture and unforgettable moments. Built on last year’s summer campaign learnings, we have evolved and increased our investment for 2026, focusing on the markets, messaging and tactics that have consistently performed well. To view the luxury spots featuring New Orleans songbird Robin Barnes, please click bit.ly/nola26summerluxury and bit.ly/nola26summerluxury15.
Strategic Goal Four: Build International Tourism.
The New Orleans & Company team, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, our statewide partners and I recently attended IPW in Fort Lauderdale to conduct business as we typically do, while also promoting New Orleans as host city for IPW 2027. Over four days, Kim Priez and our sales team conducted 182 individual meetings with customers, while our PR team worked with more than 50 journalists. These meetings are essential to growing international visitation and ensuring that New Orleans remains a priority destination for global travel buyers, media and tourism leaders.
I led a press conference featuring remarks from Lt. Governor Nungesser, a video from Mayor Helena Moreno welcoming attendees to New Orleans, and an incredible musical performance by Robin Barnes and Pat Casey, which had everyone second-lining around the room. The excitement for IPW 2027 in New Orleans was palpable.
IPW is the leading international inbound travel trade show for the United States, and past IPWs have generated more than $5.5 billion in future travel to the United States. As we look ahead to May 2–6, 2027, we have a tremendous opportunity to showcase New Orleans to the world and remind global travel leaders why our city is a must-see destination.
In closing, thank you to our team, members and partners for helping New Orleans deliver at the highest level through an incredibly important stretch of major events, meetings, media opportunities and community initiatives. Sail 250, North America’s 50 Best Restaurants and IPW all remind us that when New Orleans has the opportunity to host the world, we do it with authenticity, excellence and heart.
Thanks for your partnership.
Sincerely,
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 Walter J. Leger III President & CEO New Orleans & Company |