World’s #1 River Cruise Chooses Greater New Orleans

This week, Viking River Cruises, the world’s #1 line, announced that New Orleans would be its homeport for luxury river cruises up the Mississippi River, creating close to 800 regional jobs.  Expected to start in 2017, Viking will dock near the French Quarter, and then take passengers on a journey along the Mississippi from New Orleans to stops in St. James, East Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes; continuing upriver to Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis; or St. Paul, Minnesota, depending on the season. The specialty-built riverboats will have a full complement of luxury amenities and host up to 300 passengers, at approximately one-tenth the size of oceangoing cruise vessels.  Viking’s cruises are renowned for their locally oriented educational and entertainment programs.

GNO, Inc. worked with a team of state and local partners to bring Viking to Louisiana, visiting Viking in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Norway and Switzerland over multiple years.  You can read more about the announcement here.