Dear Friends of New Orleans & Company,
We’re kicking off this message with two great news items!
- A National Award - New Orleans & Company was honored as the 2026 HelmsBriscoe CVB/Destination Large Market Destination Partner of the Year within the Continental U.S. HelmsBriscoe is a globally recognized leader in meetings procurement and site selection, with a network of 1,300 associates who help shape meeting and event decisions for organizations around the world. Being recognized by these industry experts makes the award especially meaningful and reflects New Orleans & Company’s commitment to delivering exceptional service, strong partnerships with our community and authentic experiences that showcase New Orleans as truly #BuiltToHost.
- Strong Visitor Numbers – A new study by MMGY Global revealed that 19.46 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2025 - a two percent increase over 2024 and just one percent shy of the city’s all-time visitation record set in 2019. The 2025 total marks only the third time in history New Orleans has exceeded 19 million visitors, making 2024 and 2025 the second and third highest-performing tourism years on record, after 2019. Visitor spending in 2025 reached $10.8 billion, an increase of $800 million over 2024’s $10.0 billion.
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 fewhighlights of our work toward achieving our strategic goals.
Strategic Goal One: Deliver the Most Innovative and Exceptional Sales and Service
- Words that Sell - New Orleans & Company recently hosted a “Words that Sell” workshop, an interactive session for 200 local professionals, focused on strengthening communication and converting proposals into business opportunities. It featured insights gathered from more than 400 meeting planner customers on what makes communication most effective and what matters most to planners, reinforcing the importance of standing out through clear, strategic messaging. Stephanie Turner also presented this information to her peers at the Destinations International Convention Sales & Services Summit in Dallas, and it was extremely well received.
- Educational Preview - New Orleans & Company’s Convention Sales team also hosted an educational destination preview for hotel national sales office representatives. The trip showcased how New Orleans executes complex meetings and events while providing updated destination insights, sales tools and first-hand experiences, including Jazz Fest, that strengthen partnerships and help drive future business.
Strategic Goal Two: Make New Orleans a Great Place to Live, Work, and Visit
- Celebrating Champions - National Travel and Tourism Week was a tremendous success and concluded with a sold-out luncheon featuring Mayor Moreno and Lt. Governor Nungesser. Throughout the week, we highlighted the importance of tourism to our economy and recognized hospitality champions whose work continues to elevate the visitor experience and strengthen our industry.
Congratulations to our 2026 National Travel and Tourism Week honorees: Lifetime Achievement Honoree Arthur Hardy; and Industry Champions Sergio Lopez, Maître D’ at Annunciation Restaurant; Dwynesha “Chef Dee” Lavigne, owner of DeelightfulRoux School of Cooking; and Andrew Haertzen, Assistant Curator at Audubon Zoo. Watch a recap video here, courtesy of Hometown Productions.
Strategic Goal Three: Create and Own a Clear, World-Class Brand for New Orleans
- Positive PR - Kelly Schulz and Diana Hernandez of our PR team represented New Orleans & Company at Travel South USA Global Week 2026 in Mobile, Alabama. Tavel South USA is the official regional destination marketing organization for 12 Southern US states. In one day, they conducted nearly 30 one-on-one appointments with international journalists to share story ideas. These conversations help ensure New Orleans remains top-of-mind for travelers across the globe, while generating future earned media coverage.
Strategic Goal Four: Build International Tourism
- Welcome UK and Ireland - New Orleans & Company hosted a two-day FAM tour for travel agents from the United Kingdom and Ireland. In partnership with Brand USA, the nation's official destination marketing organization designed to boost international inbound travel to the United States, 12 participants were selectedbased on their top-tier booking performance. The goals is tofamiliarize international travel sellers with American destinations – specifically New Orleans - so they can confidently market and sell our products to their clients.
- Welcome Italy - New Orleans & Company partnered with Louisiana Office of Tourism and hosted a travel trade FAM for six product managers from established tour operator agencies based in Italy, all with strong USA product experience but limited South market presence. New Orleans & Company arranged the best experiences to inspire these operators to include New Orleans in their product offerings.
In closing, our team will stop at nothing to earn business and drive impact for our community. We are continuing our marketing efforts for the city with new content to drive summer business, especially from regional travelers. More details to follow.
Soon we are headed to IPW in Ft. Lauderdale to meet with hundreds of global travel buyers and journalists. And less than one year from now, we will warmly welcome them to IPW’s next host city – New Orleans…IPW 2027 on May 2-6…. the countdown is on!
Thanks for your partnership.
Sincerely,
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 Walter J. Leger III President & CEO New Orleans & Company |