CITY UPDATE
New Orleans Metropolitan Convention
and Visitors Bureau issues
State of City report
Report Includes Statistics in the City’s Rebirth One-Year After Hurricane Katrina, Celebrates Recent Successes, Assures the Continuation of the New Orleans Experience
NEW ORLEANS — [Dec. 12, 2006] With the year 2007 just a few weeks away, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau is celebrating a year of milestones, particularly those achieved in the leading industry in the city – hospitality and tourism. Good news in recent months has included the return of conventions, cruise ships, the Louisiana Superdome and big-ticket sporting events, and the reopening of grand hotels and urban shopping destinations * all resulting in the resurgence of the New Orleans experience.
"We believe New Orleans is in many ways better than ever," said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the NOMCVB. "Chefs are cooking, musicians are playing, there is a renewed sense of appreciation for our rich history and culture, and that authentic, sensory experience people have come to love that is New Orleans is very much alive."
In recent months, the city’s hospitality industry has enjoyed a number of successes, including welcoming the National Association of Realtors’ “NARdi Gras,” which brought to the city approximately 24,000 attendees in mid-November. The State Farm Bayou Classic returned to the Louisiana Superdome Thanksgiving weekend, and the Ritz Carlton, after investing over $100 million in renovations, reopened its doors to the public on December 4, 2006. The Sugar Bowl will welcome post-season BCS collegiate football with LSU playing Notre Dame in the Superdome. The Essence Festival recently announced its return to its “home,” returning to New Orleans July 5-7, 2007, and the Arena Bowl will be played in the Superdome in late July 2007.
"As we approach a new year, the great news is that recovery in New Orleans continues and it is an exciting time to be here," says Perry.
Milestones
Under the management of SMG, the Louisiana Superdome reopened on Monday, September 25, 2006, with Monday Night Football, when the New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons before the largest audience in ESPN history. The game won the biggest share of the television audience among all TV networks, broadcast or cable, and featured pre-game concerts by the Goo Goo Dolls, U2 and Green Day, a coin toss by former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and an estimated $20 million pumped into the city’s economy. Further, the New Orleans Saints are enjoying a sold-out season for the first time in the franchise's 40-year history, with a waiting list for future years. The neighboring New Orleans Arena reopened in March 2006. SMG currently has 150 full-time employees, with a part-time work force of approximately 2,500, including detail police officers.
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which partially reopened in February 2006, is now fully operational, having opened the remainder of its upgraded facilities in late November, as the Center hosted the International Work Boat Show. Renovations to the Center are estimated at $60 to $67 million. The Center currently has 250 full-time employees.
Conventions: Convention and meetings business has returned to New Orleans, building upon the successful city-wide meeting of the 17,000 members of the American Library Association in June 2006, the first since Hurricane Katrina. The CVB has retained approximately 40% of business for 2006, with approximately 70% of convention and meetings business for 2007 and over 90% for 2008. Short-term corporate meetings bookings are on the rise. Other highlights include:
*The National Association of Realtors brought to New Orleans approximately 24,000 visitors. Registration for this year's meeting marked a 17% increase in attendance since their last gathering in New Orleans in 2002, with a record number of exhibitors participating. In addition to holding their meetings in the Convention Center, attendees were invited to participate in a variety of rebuilding and renovation efforts in the residential areas that were devastated by Katrina, including building seven homes in the New Orleans/Habitat for Humanity Musician's Village in the Ninth Ward.
* A full convention calendar for October and November included the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Society of Exploration Geophysicists, American Society of Human Genetics, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology.
*Avaya, a Fortune 500 company, recently held their 3,800 delegate meeting in New Orleans.
*In addition to the large association meetings previously planned, advisory boards of major association and hotel corporations are choosing to host their meetings in New Orleans, reconfirming the allure of New Orleans as a top destination.
Hospitality and Tourism
Hotels: The vast majority of downtown hotel properties are reopened, many completing renovations and upgrades in the last quarter of 2005. Those properties included the Hilton Riverside, the Sheraton, multiple Marriott properties, the Renaissance Arts and Pere Marquette properties, two Wyndham properties (one new property opened in 2006), the Windsor Court, the Loew's Hotel, the International House and two W hotels. The newly-constructed Harrah’s Hotel opened in September 2006, and the Ritz-Carlton and Chateau Sonesta reopened in early December 2006 after extensive renovations. The Omni Royal Orleans, Royal Sonesta, Holiday Inn, and the Monteleone are among the many hotels and boutique hotels opened in the French Quarter.
Overall 140 metropolitan area hotels are open, 90 located in downtown New Orleans. With the addition of 557 rooms at the Ritz-Carlton, there are more than 29,500 of 38,000 hotel rooms available in metropolitan New Orleans. The Hyatt is undergoing extensive renovation as well, with an expected completion date of late 2007, as part of the proposed Hyatt Jazz District Project.
Dining: According to the Louisiana Restaurant Association, there are approximately 700 restaurants open in Orleans Parish alone, including the restaurants in the French Quarter, downtown, Warehouse Arts District, Garden District and Uptown New Orleans popular with visitors to the city. These include Commander's Palace, Emeril’s, Delmonico's, Galatoire's, Antoine's, Arnaud's, Palace Café, Bourbon House, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Restaurant August, Bayona, Riche, K-Paul’s and Herbsaint, to name just a few of the great restaurants in New Orleans. As well, 18 major new restaurants opened in the metro area and are enjoying success. (This figure does not include fast-food restaurants, most national chains, bars serving food and coffeehouses.)
There are now 1,562 restaurants open in the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area, employing 39,800 people. In 2006, restaurants are expected to generate $4.8 billion in direct sales.
Cruise Industry: The Delphin Renaissance, a 600-passenger luxury ship, was the first cruise ship to call on the Port of New Orleans in the post-Katrina era when it docked December 31, 2005 at the Thalia Street Wharf alongside the Port's Administration Building. The Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International have returned. RiverBarge Excursion Lines will soon follow. Carnival Cruise Lines will deploy the Carnival Triumph to New Orleans in August 2007. The Queen Elizabeth 2 called upon the city of New Orleans for the first time in its 40-year history on Monday, November 27, 2006.
Major Attractions: All the major attractions in the city, including the Harrah’s Casino, the Audubon Zoo, Aquarium and IMAX theater, Mardi Gras World, Café Du Monde, paddlewheel cruises on the Mississippi River, carriage rides through the French Quarter and CBD, ferry rides across the Mississippi River, the Steamboat Natchez and the Creole Queen, plantation, swamp and specialty tours, nightclubs and music venues are open.
Cultural Institutions: All major museums have reopened including the New Orleans Museum of Art and Besthoff Sculpture Garden, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the National World War II Museum, the Contemporary Arts Center and the Louisiana Children’s Museum. The New Orleans Ballet, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and community theatres throughout the metropolitan New Orleans area are back in operation.
Urban shopping destinations: The Shops at Canal Place, The Riverwalk and Jax Brewery are open, offering visitors a full complement of national stores, specialty shops and boutiques. Saks Fifth Avenue, the anchor store in The Shops at Canal Place, reopened its doors to the public in November 2006. Boutiques, art galleries and antique stores are open throughout the city. Tax-free shopping is available for international visitors in Orleans and neighboring Jefferson Parish.
Major Sporting Events
* Three collegiate football contests that traditionally draw large crowds to the city are returning as well: The State Farm Bayou Classic, Southern University vs. Grambling University, November 25, 2006; The R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl ESPN telecast game on December 22, 2006; and The Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic, January 3, 2007.
* The Arena Bowl will be played in the New Orleans Arena in July 2007.
* New Orleans also will host the 57th NBA All-Star Game in February 2008.
Other Successes in 2006
* Mardi Gras: February 18 - 19, February 23 - 28, with approximately 700,000 revelers
* The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival: March 29 - April 2, in the French Quarter
* New Orleans Zephyrs Triple AAA Baseball: Opened its full season on April 6
* French Quarter Festival: April 21 - 23, offering 250 hours of free entertainment featuring more than 150 musical performances on fifteen stages throughout the French Quarter, nearly 60 food and beverage booths located in Jackson Square and Woldenberg Riverfront Park, welcoming 350,000 attendees
* Zurich PGA Classic: played at English Turn Golf and Country Club April 27- 30, drew an estimated 35,000 attendees for the final round, bringing the four-day total to 111,000 golf enthusiasts, 900 local volunteers
* New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: the annual two full weekend slate of entertainment, April 28 - 30 and May 4 - 7, welcomed over 350,000 attendees and more than 350 local, national and international music acts
* New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, May 24-28, celebrating local and worldwide culinary culture
* Satchmo Summerfest: August 3 - 6 throughout the French Quarter
* Art for Arts' Sake: October 7, in the French Quarter, Warehouse District
and along Uptown's Magazine Street, signaling the opening of the cultural season
WINTER/SPRING 2007 MAJOR CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Event/Date
American Mathematical Society/January 4 - 9
Meeting Professionals International/January 20 - 24
Professional Housing Management Association/January 21 - 26
IBM/January 29 - 31/February 4 - 8
Healthcare Information & Management Society/February 24 - March 1 (city-wide)
American Association of School Administrators /February 28 - March 4
National Electrical Manufacturers Association/March 7 - 10
National Collegiate Athletic Association/March 14 - 17 (city-wide)
American College of Healthcare Executives/March 18 - 22
International Association for Dental Research/March 20 - 25
American College of Cardiology/March 23 - 27 (city-wide)
American Institute of Steel Construction/April 17 - 21
Institute of Scrap Recycling/April 17 - 22
Risk & Insurance Management Society/April 29 - May 4 (city-wide)
Voluntourism: Since Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the metropolitan New Orleans community has been the beneficiary of an incredible outpouring of support from visitors to New Orleans. From convention visitors to leisure travelers, church groups to high school and college students, people have shown incredible generosity in giving of their time and talent, and a great deal of elbow grease, helping the city of New Orleans in its recovery and restoration. The Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, has established through her office a Web site matching those interested in volunteering with organizations seeking assistance in New Orleans and throughout South Louisiana. As well, the CVB has on its Web site a listing of organizations seeking volunteer assistance.
About the City
Neighborhoods: The core of the New Orleans hospitality and tourism destinations were not flooded and today are open and thriving, including the Faubourg Marigny, French Quarter, Warehouse Arts District, Garden District/Uptown, Audubon and University section, Carrollton and Riverbend, and historic Algiers on the city's westbank, including hotels, restaurants and retail.
As well, neighboring Jefferson Parish to the west (home to Louis Armstrong International Airport and including Metairie, River Ridge, Harahan and Kenner) and the city’s “Northshore,” (a true bedroom community for downtown commuters, including the towns of Slidell, Mandeville, Madisonville, Covington, Abita Springs and Folsom located on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain) are bustling. These areas also include lodging, great dining opportunities, and major shopping destinations.
Population: According to the U.S. Postal Service, the number of residents currently residing in New Orleans is 200,000 (source: Times-Picayune, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006). Over 1.1 million reside in the metropolitan New Orleans area.
Levee Repair and Restoration (information from the U.S. Corps of Engineers): The Corps of Engineers repaired and restored 220 miles of floodwalls and levees since September 2005. With a few exceptions, New Orleans now has Pre-Katrina flood and storm level protection, which was in place by the beginning of this hurricane season (June 1, 2006). This system is in equal or better condition than it was when Katrina hit. The Corps' work to upgrade the flood and storm protection will continue through 2010. The Corps plans to engineer, construct and improve storm and flood protection infrastructure to a 100-year protection level within the Hurricane Protection System. This work includes stronger levees, floodwalls and storm-proofing of pumping stations.
2006 City Emergency Preparedness Plan: Mayor C. Ray Nagin's Office of Emergency Preparedness has developed a strategic plan for the management and evacuation of the citizens of New Orleans. No shelters of last resort will be made available.
The Convention Center will be a staging point for evacuations. Amtrak trains will also be used for evacuation purposes.
CVB Emergency Preparedness: The Bureau, the City of New Orleans, and the state and city offices of emergency preparedness continue to monitor, evaluate and outline specific emergency strategies for immediate implementation to ensure the security of every visitor and local resident alike. The New Orleans Tourism Crisis Management Plan, along with diligent and thorough preparation with an emphasis on safety, will assist visitors and community members in responding appropriately to emergencies.
The City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana have for the first time implemented a unified emergency communications plan to ensure the timely flow of information across the region in emergency situations. A comprehensive and effective citywide emergency communications plan for the Greater New Orleans tourism industry has been developed.
Health and Safety: Wrapping up the agency's 11-month effort to pinpoint chemical contamination of soil and water following Hurricane Katrina,
Environmental Protection
Agency officials gave New Orleans and surrounding communities a final clean bill of health in a report issued Friday, August 18, 2006. (source: Times-Picayune, Saturday, August 18, 2006) In the end, federal and state officials said the contamination they found was typical of many cities.
Food/seafood: Various federal, state and local agencies have conducted tests on the quality and safety of water and food, including the area's seafood, and all have been pronounced safe to consume.
Air Quality: Official rating scales rate the air quality in the "good"zone. www.airnow.gov.
Security: The New Orleans Police Department is fully functional. The Louisiana National Guard has been assigned to patrol the outlying damaged and sparsely populated neighborhoods of the city, allowing the NOPD to increase their patrols in the tourism areas and historic parts of the city, enhancing the already good safety record these districts enjoy. Crime is down 50%, according to the NOPD.
New Orleans Police Department:
Post-Katrina: 1,421 officers
Ratio of officers to residents: 1:141
Pre-Katrina: 1,680 officers/ 1:289
Hospitals: Twelve hospitals are currently open in the metropolitan New Orleans area, including Tulane Hospital and Clinic, Touro Infirmary and Children's Hospital in Orleans Parish, East Jefferson Medical Center and Clinic, Tulane-Lakeside Hospital, Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Hospital, Kenner Regional Medical Center and Omega Hospital in East Jefferson Parish, and West Jefferson Medical Center on the westbank of the Mississippi River. Memorial Baptist Hospital has opened a small portion of its uptown campus, with more improvements being made. University Hospital partially reopened in November, 2006, adding another emergency room to the downtown area.
Business: According to statistics from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, as reported in the Times-Picayune on April 16, 2006, 62,300 businesses have reopened since Hurricane Katrina, of the 81,000 local businesses in the 10 parish metropolitan area. According to the LDED, 17, 716 of Orleans Parish's businesses have reopened, translating to almost 90% of pre-Katrina numbers.
Air Transportation
Louis Armstrong International Airport, as of October 17, 2006, reports 109 flights serving 32 cities (64 % the number of daily departures and 77% the number of destinations; 12,573 seats or 59% of our Pre-Katrina level of seats per day). The NOMCVB is working with the airlines and airport officials with regard to convention scheduling to ensure adequate lift to meet demand.
Airlines operating out of the Louis Armstrong International Airport include: Air Tran, American Airlines, Continental, Delta Airlines, Jet Blue, Midwest, Northwest Air, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, U.S. Airways.
On Wednesday, December 6, 2006, The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport launched an unprecedented maintenance campaign to clean and improve the environment at the region's premier international airport for guests arriving and departing the New Orleans region. Dubbed "Music To Your Eyes", the campaign is designed to transform the environment of the Airport into an even fresher and more visitor-friendly facility.
Airport Shuttle, Inc., is the official ground transportation for Louis Armstrong International Airport, with service to and from New Orleans' hotels and other designated locations. Fare is $13.00 each way. No reservations are required.
New Orleans Lakefront Airport is open 24 hours a day. Full service fuel, line service, flight training and aircraft rescue crews are available.
Ground Transportation
Taxis: Taxis are available on New Orleans streets and at major hotels, with the taxicab bureau reporting over 50% of their cabs back on the streets. Taxi rates are $2.50 plus $1.60 per mile (.20 per one-eighth mile) thereafter. There is also an additional charge of $1.00 per passenger after the first passenger. During peak visitor times (including Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest) taxi rates are $4 per person or the meter rate, whichever is higher. A fixed rate of $28 (one to two people) is charged from the airport to most areas of New Orleans. For parties of more than two, the fare is $12 per person.
Regional Transit Authority: RTA services are $1.25, including bus transportation and the streetcar. The New Orleans Streetcar line is partially back in service, including the leg traveling on Canal Street from the Mississippi River to Mid-City, and from Canal Street north on Carrolton Avenue to City Park at Wisner Boulevard.
The Riverfront line is also running. The time line for the full return of the historic St. Charles Avenue line is well into 2007, to include construction of three electrical substations. A small leg from Canal Street to Lee Circle will be restored before the end of 2006. The stations were originally constructed in the 1940s and were in need of upgrading.
Twenty-nine bus lines are running, providing 25,000 rides daily. Bus service allows transportation throughout the city's major corridor, extending from the Faubourg Marigny to Riverbend.
Amtrak has been operating in New Orleans since October of 2005. The City of New Orleans is running again to Memphis and Chicago, while the Crescent has resumed its regular route to Atlanta and New York.
Port of New Orleans: The Port re-opened to cargo traffic in September 2005. Operating today at 100% of its total capacity, all of the ports' stevedores and terminal operators are open during normal business hours.
Education: The Greater New Orleans area has approximately 200 parochial schools, including Catholic and private schools (pre-K through 12th grade). Approximately 19 new Orleans Parish charter public schools have reopened. The Louisiana Recovery Schools District is managing more approximately 55 public schools welcoming close to 35,000 students.
Local colleges and universities are open, including Tulane University, Loyola University, the University of New Orleans, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Xavier University, Dillard University, Southern University of New Orleans, Delgado Community College, Nunez Community College and Louisiana Technical College.
Current and Future Economic Opportunities and Projects
Proposed Riverfront Development: The cooperative endeavor agreement between the city and the Port of New Orleans symbolizes the return of a 4-mile stretch of Mississippi riverfront to citizens. It includes visions of riverside green space and the construction of RiverSphere - a museum and river research center - and a riverfront performing arts venue.
Nine teams of architects and planners from New Orleans and cities around the world responded to a recent invitation to help plan the redevelopment of a 4.1-mile stretch of publicly owned land along the east bank riverfront.. Among them were at least two winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, considered the highest international honor in the field, and architects from London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Mexico City, Edinburgh and other cities. Applicants also include noted architects Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid, Reiser + Umemoto, TEN Arquitectos and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz. The winning team is expected to be selected by Dec. 15.
The New Orleans Building Corp., an agency created to increase the city's revenue from some of its unused or underused properties, has set aside as much as $500,000 to pay for the planning process, which is expected to be finished within a year.
Other Economic Development Projects include:
Hyatt Regency National Jazz Park & Municipal Complex/$ 700 million
AFL-CIO Housing & Business Development/$ 700 million
LSU/VA Medical Complex/$ 1.2 billion
LIFT Productions Digital Media Studio/Soundstage Training Complex/ $180 million Trump Tower Condominium Development/$ 100 million
GO Zone Tax Exempt Bond Financing/Incentives/$ 1 billion (allows private developers to sell tax-free revenue bonds outside the usual federal limits/allows developers to borrow money at government rates, approx. 1⁄2 of conventional loans) New Market Tax Credit Program/ $ 600 million (lowers the cost of capital for developers/spurs investment in low income communities)
About New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB) (www.neworleanscvb.com) is the driving force behind New Orleans' most important industry, tourism, which generates $5 billion in visitor spending and creates 85,000 jobs. Today the cultural riches, sensual indulgences and unparalleled service that define the New Orleans experience continue to flourish, as they have for centuries. The most celebrated and historic core of the city - including the French Quarter, Central Business District, Warehouse and Arts District, Magazine Street and Garden District - not only remains intact, both physically and spiritually, but is thriving. The New Orleans CVB is proudly welcoming visitors and business travelers every day.
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