Cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages are helping lure tourists back to New Orleans. Visitors and hotel occupancy are up, but not equal to pre-Katrina levels.
New Orleans had 7.5 million visitors in 2009. Pre-Katrina an average year was 8.5 million, with its best year coming in 2004 when 10.1 million visited the city.
Hotel occupancy from the first of the year through July in the French Quarter and central business district came in at almost 72 percent. Through July New Orleans came in ranked number 2 for growth in hotel performance among the top 25 U.S. markets. Unfortunately it sold 500,000 fewer rooms than in the same period in 2005.
The New Orleans Hyatt Regency has been closed since Katrina. A major renovation of the closed hotel has just been undertaken and it is expected to be open for business in the fall of 2011 with almost 1,200 rooms and suites.
The city is aggressively working to attract more conventions, many of which are planned way in advance.
New Orleans is wooing tourists with hotel specials and a COOLinary New Orleans promotions. Through September 30th, many restaurants offered special fixed price lunch menus for about $20 and $34 for dinner.
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