GNO, Inc. Sunday Night Highlight – Tourism Rebounds to Near-Record High
Per a recent study from New Orleans & Company, in 2024, New Orleans welcomed 19.08 million visitors — surpassing 19 million for the first time since the pandemic and only the second time in history.
New Orleans & Co. commissioned the study with MMGY Global, an integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel and hospitality industries. The research revealed New Orleans welcomed 19.08 million visitors in 2024, a 6.4 percent increase from 2023’s 17.93 million visitors and near the 19.75 million high point in 2019. Visitors to the city in 2024 spent $10.4 billion, an 8.4 percent increase over $9.6 billion in total visitor spending in 2023 and eclipsing the 2019 high point of $10.045 billion. Hotel bookings also increased by 6.4 percent last year.
Other tourism highlights of 2024 included:
- Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought over 150,000 visitors, with $200M in direct spending and an estimated $500M total economic impact 🎶
- The Essence Festival of Culture celebrated its 30th anniversary with record attendance and extensive national media coverage 🎤
- New Orleans ranked 3rd nationally as a top convention destination in 2024, surpassing Chicago and Las Vegas, with conventions contributing over $2B annually in direct spending 📈
- New Orleans hosted the Bocuse d’Or and Pastry World Cup for the first time in North America, with both set to return in 2026 — reinforcing the city’s global culinary reputation 🥇
- National & Global Recognition:
- Time Out: “Best Cities in the World to Visit in 2024” ✈️️
- Southern Living: #4 “Top 25 Best Cities in the South” 🌞
- TripAdvisor: “2024 Best US Food Destination Travelers’ Choice Award” 🍤
- Travel + Leisure: “15 Best Places to Travel in August 2024” 🌴
“I consider 2024 a defining year in our mission to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city,” said Walt Leger III, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company. “This kind of growth doesn’t happen without implementing successful strategies across multiple sectors of visitors simultaneously, especially in such a competitive environment. It is a direct result of the diligent planning and innovative strategies in sales and marketing employed by the team at New Orleans & Company and our strategic partners throughout the community.”
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