New Orleans News | Press

New Orleans' monthly Media Update covers the latest travel and tourism developments around town. Please email jhollings@neworleans.com to be added to our media mailing list.

What’s New in New Orleans Hospitality Industry – June 2018

NEW BRAND:

The former New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) has rebranded and is now officially known as New Orleans & Company – a name that better reflects the work that we do and the people we serve.

For more information on our new brand, click here.

TRICENTENNIAL:

• New Orleans is celebrating its 300^th anniversary throughout 2018.
  • As one of the world’s most unique and diverse cities, New Orleans will celebrate with its citizens and open its doors to the world to share the city’s rich history and culture. During the Tricentennial, New Orleans will celebrate its past accomplishments, the resilience of its people and set the course for the future.

• Salazar: Portraits of Influence in Spanish New Orleans will be on view at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, March 8^th-September 2^nd, in conjunction with the Tricentennial celebration of New Orleans.

• Throughout 2018 several local businesses are offering special deals, packages, discounts and tricentennial-themed items that visitors and locals can take advantage of all year long. To learn more about the Tricentennial deals and packages click here.

For the full Tricentennial calendar, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• The 6^th annual Jazz in the Park concert series has returned to Armstrong Park for free outdoor live concerts, local food and art vendors every Thursday evening through June 7^th.  
   
• The 8^th annual New Orleans Pride Festival will return June 8^th-10^th for a weekend-long celebration of the LGBTQ community.
  • The weekend is packed full of events and the famous Pride Parade which will proceed throughout the French Quarter on Saturday, June 9^th.
     
• The 32^nd annual French Market Creole Tomato Festival is set to take over the historic French Market June 9^th-10^th.
  • The festival will include delicious red creole tomatoes, live music, food, cooking demonstrations, contests and a Bloody Mary market.
  • Creole tomatoes are seasonal to South Louisiana and only available during the summer months.
     
• The 8^th annual FestiGals, a women-centric conference, is set to take place in New Orleans June 21^st-24^th. FestiGals is the first and only festival that inspires, connects and celebrates women while supporting causes important to their well-being.
  • FestiGals features several educational sessions, the Step-Up Second-Line Parade and the Tricentennial Women’s Day among several other events.
     
• The 12^th annual Louisiana Cajun Zydeco Festival returns to Louis Armstrong Park June 23^rd-24^th for the only festival that offers exclusively Cajun and Zydeco music. Admission is free.
  • This year’s lineup includes some of Louisiana’s best Cajun and Zydeco artists including Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots, Sean Ardoin, Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Dwayne Doopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers and many more.

For a full list of events, click here.

HOTELS:

• Hard Rock International has announced the opening of the Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans, set to open its doors in the spring of 2019.
  • The 18-story building will sit on the corner of Rampart and Canal Streets and will feature 350 guestrooms, four meeting spaces, two ballrooms and 12,000 square feet of event space.
     
• The Eliza Jane Hotel recently opened in the city’s Central Business District on Magazine Street in the former home of The Daily Picayune newspaper.
  • The new hotel features 196 guest rooms, a locally inspired restaurant, lobby bar and 1,700 square feet of event space.
  • The Eliza Jane is named after Eliza Jane Nicholson, former publisher of The Daily Picayune.

RESTAURANTS:

• Robert LeBlanc and Liam Deegan, the team behind the Lower Garden District’s Barrel Proof, have recently opened Longway Tavern in one of the city’s oldest buildings at 719 Toulouse Street.
  • The casual eatery will feature nostalgic tavern fare alongside a classic cocktail menu tied together with old-school hospitality and charm.
     
• Pythian Market, an Urban food collective located on the ground floor of the historic Pythian Temple, opened its doors on May 31^st.
  • Located downtown at 234 Loyola Avenue, Pythian Market features 14 uniquely-curated artisan purveyors and retail vendors that showcase a mosaic of cuisines representing many cultures that make up today’s culinary landscape in New Orleans.
  • From fresh Gulf seafood and authentic Southern BBQ to Vietnamese street food and Louisiana comfort fare, diners can expect soulful, fresh and creative cuisine served up in a convivial atmosphere.
     
• New Orleans’ celebrated bartenders, Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich, have recently opened a Cuban bar and café, Manolito, in the city’s historic French Quarter.
  • Hannah is the lead bartender at the James Beard award-winning French 75 Bar, and Detrich is the former lead bartender at Cane & Table.

AWARDS:

• New Orleans has been recognized as a top destination to visit in 2018 by more than 25 publications including, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodor’s Travel, Frommer’s Travel Guides, The New York Times, Robb Report, Rough Guides, Travel + Leisure and many more.
   
• The New York Times named New Orleans the No. 1 destination in its 52 Places to Go in 2018.
   
• New Orleans has been recognized as a top LGBT Destination by three popular LGBT publications.
   
• Southern Living readers recognized New Orleans as the “South’s Best Food City” in their “South’s Best” list, March 2018.
   
• TripAdvisor has name New Orleans one of the “10 Best Food Cities in the World,” April 2018.
   
• TripAdvisor included New Orleans on their list of "Most Excellent City Overall."

CRUISES:

• The Port of New Orleans set a record with 1,150,172 passengers at its Erato Street and Julia Street Cruise Terminals in 2017.
  • This marks the fourth consecutive year of more than one million cruise passenger movements and reinforcing its importance as a key driver of the hospitality industry’s economic impact in the region.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

• The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has announced an expansion to the plans for the new terminal, currently under construction, bringing the total number of gates from 30 to 35. The plans include a 2,200-car parking garage, a central utility plan and a ground transportation area.
  • The new terminal is now set to open February 2019.
  • The five-gate expansion and new opening date comes as the airport has exceeded all passenger enplanement targets and added new international airlift to Europe and South America.

For a complete list of developments, click here.

AIRPORT:

• The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) has set a new record with 12,009,512 total passengers served in 2017.
  • Passenger totals from 2017 follow record-setting years in 2015 and 2016 with 10.6 million and 11.1 million passengers traveling through MSY.
  • Last year was the seventh year of continued passenger growth, with an overall increase of more than 35 percent in total passengers since 2010.

• Condor Airlines will return to New Orleans with twice-weekly flights operating Thursdays and Sundays from May 17^th, 2018 through September 30^th, 2018, from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA).

MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS:

                Meetings (3,000 or more in attendance) includes:

• International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) Annual Conference | June 10-12
  • IDDBA is dedicated to moving the dairy, deli, bakery industry forward through education, training, networking and selling opportunities. Since 1964, IDDBA has strived to be the essential resource for relevant information and services which add value across all food channels for the dairy, deli and bakery categories.
  • Projected attendance: 8,100
     
• National Sherriff’s Association Annual Conference & Exhibition | June 15-19
  • The NSA Annual Conference and Exhibition is one of the largest of its kind and displays products and equipment relevant to every facet of police work, jails, prisoner transport and courtroom security. 
  • Projected attendance: 4,000
     
• American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibition | June 21-26
  • ALA, the oldest and largest library association in the world, will hold the world's biggest library event, bringing together librarians and library staff, educators, authors, publishers, friends of libraries, trustees, special guests and exhibitors to engage and participate in the ongoing transformation of libraries.
  • Projected attendance: 20,000
     
• National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Annual Symposia & Expo | June 26-29
  • The NATA 69^th Annual Symposia & Expo is an industry-specific event and will feature the latest trends and technology in sports medicine.
  • Projected attendance: 11,500

New Orleans & Company is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. New Orleans & Company and its members and partners influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding, visitor services and local advocacy initiatives 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 destination marketing organizations in the country, New Orleans & Company celebrates its 58th anniversary in 2018. For more information, please visit Neworleans.com/about.

Media Contact
Julia Hollings
504-566-5019
jhollings@neworleans.com

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