Built To Innovate

Port Of New Orleans

Cruise Passengers

• In 2024, the Port of New Orleans recorded over 1.2 million cruise passenger movements. 
• Royal Caribbean returned to New Orleans with the Brilliance of the Seas in October 2024 and continued through December 2024. They are also returning in 2025 and will run the Brilliance of the Seas from January 2025-April 2025. 
• Carnival Cruise Line celebrated its 30th anniversary of cruising from New Orleans in 2024 and finalized a five-year agreement for two year-round ships, the Carnival Valor and the Carnival Liberty. 
• Norwegian replaced the Norwegian Breakaway with the Norwegian Getaway in December 2024. The Norwegian Getaway is expected to return to the Port of New Orleans again from January 2025-April 2025. 
• River cruises are thriving in the Port of New Orleans with a total of 6 homeported river vessels. The companies that sail are American Cruise Lines and Viking River Cruises. 

The Idea Village

The Idea Village has been a driving force behind innovation in New Orleans, fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that fuels fresh ideas and bold solutions. Through initiatives like New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), this nonprofit empowers startups and business leaders, making the city a hub for creativity and forward-thinking industries. With this spirit of innovation woven into the fabric of New Orleans, meetings and events here are surrounded by inspiration, collaboration, and limitless possibilities.

Inclusive Innovation

In the past few years, New Orleans has emerged as a leader in fostering diversity within the tech industry. As of 2024, New Orleans is ranked among the top ten cities in the U.S. for women and African Americans in tech jobs per capita, reflecting the city’s growing reputation as a welcoming and collaborative tech hub. 

The following examples reflect its significant progress in building a wide-reaching tech ecosystem: 

• Tech Talent Development Programs for Underserved Communities 
• Inclusive Tech Startups and Innovation Hubs 
• Diversity-Focused Tech Organizations and Meetups 
• Educational Programs and Coding Bootcamps 
• Corporate Initiatives and Tech Job Pipelines 
• Government and Nonprofit Initiatives 

Innovative Achievements:

• Haliade-X 12 MW - LM Wind Power’s Technology Center Americas facility (TCA), based on the NASA Michoud campus, has built the world’s longest offshore wind turbine blade at 107 meters in length.
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) Oyster Shell Recycling Program has constructed over 8,000 feet of oyster reef living shoreline protection with recycled shells collected from New Orleans restaurants.
• New Orleans is a hotbed for higher education institutions and research facilities, which are making impacts in the fields of renewable energy, biomedical, sustainability, innovation, medicine, and hundreds of other disciplines. New Orleans is home to 13 Universities & Colleges. Forbes named New Orleans the 2024 Best City in the U.S. for College Students and Graduates and is second in the nation for the number of colleges per capita.
• $400 million expansion at the National World War II Museum including the Expressions of America exhibit uniquely combines the latest outdoor projection technology with wartime letters and oral histories from the Museum’s collection. New Orleans was chosen as the home of the National World War II Museum because the Higgins boat was designed, manufactured and tested in New Orleans.