New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau to Drive Aggressive Rebranding Campaign

The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is launching an aggressive, strategic marketing, public relations and direct sales campaign, designed to celebrate its authentic culture, lure domestic and international visitors back, preserve the city’s leading industry (hospitality) and overcome misperceptions about New Orleans among consumers.

The campaign includes an international branding campaign marking a major shift in New Orleans hospitality marketing. The Forever New Orleans campaign not only promotes more aspects of New Orleans culture, including the visual arts.

With a presence in cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Tokyo, London, Paris and Frankfurt, the CVB staff and representatives are strengthening its long-term relationships and direct sales efforts with influencers such as meeting professionals, corporate and association decision makers, and travel professionals worldwide.

The CVB also has engaged an international public relations firm to promote New Orleans as a top destination by showcasing New Orleans in major cities across the United States in a way that will highlight the city’s history and culture. Further details, including the identity of the firm, will be unveiled in coming weeks.

Tourism is big business for New Orleans. As the economic engine of New Orleans, tourism accounts for 35 percent of the City of New Orleans’ annual operating budget, $210 million paying for jobs, safety, transit, and infrastructure. Tourism also employs the largest segment of the population from across the region.

Without the money engineered by New Orleans tourism, the state would have to raise an additional $3,000 on every family in Louisiana in taxes to cover the deficit. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans lost more than $2 billion in business from business and leisure travelers.