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New Orleans hoping the good times roll |
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The Convention & Visitors Bureau has declared that New Year's weekend will mark the official reopening of the city for leisure travelers, who in normal times pour $5.6 billion a year into the economy and support 75,000 workers. |
Though the Sugar Bowl and its attendant hordes will hold forth in Atlanta while the Superdome is being repaired, there still will be fireworks over the Mississippi River on Dec. 31, a neon baby or a surprise substitute will drop from the top of Jax Brewery at midnight, nightclubs will jump and libations will flow wherever possible. But will it be enough to entice the free-spending masses that are so desperately needed?
"We're not sure how many (visitors to the city) will take us up on it," says J. Stephen Perry, CEO of the convention bureau. "I expect an energy level that will be palpable, from having come through something hard and well. But we don't have a projection. This is mostly for us."
Nevertheless, Perry is counting on these activities to generate momentum for the 150th annual Mardi Gras celebrations Feb. 18-28, for the JazzFest April 28-May 7 and for the usually busy weeks in between. By the time summer sets in and visitation usually slows, business will "feel much more like normal," he predicts.
Perry gets paid to be optimistic, but he has some solid evidence on his side. The storm's flooding largely spared the French Quarter and the Garden District, key tourism areas that drew about 10 million visitors in 2004.
External Source - For the complete article click here
Source - USATODAY
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