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News • United States • 2011-03-30

What’s New in New Orleans’ Hospitality Industry – April/May 2011

LATEST NEWS

· New Orleans is gearing up for another stellar spring festival season, beginning with French Quarter Festival presented by Capital One Bank, April 7-10. After a record-breaking attendance of 512,000 attendees last year, French Quarter Festival announced the addition of Thursday, dubbed “Locals Lagniappe Day,” to the 2011 festival. A few weeks later, the world-famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell presents seven-days of music with artists such as The Strokes, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Terence Blanchard, Kid Rock, Mumford & Sons and The Neville Brothers. The celebrations continue in New Orleans with festivals including Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, Greek Fest, The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience and the New Orleans Oyster Festival.

· More than one million revelers, including thousands of Spring Break travelers, celebrated Mardi Gras 2011 in New Orleans. With parades culminating on Fat Tuesday, March 8, New Orleans area hotels and the CVB reported a virtually sold-out Mardi Gras weekend, and one of the largest festivities the city has seen in 25 years.

· Investors from around the globe converged in New Orleans for Entrepreneur Week, March 18-26, 2011. This annual gathering, which is made possible by the New Orleans non-profit organization The Idea Village, brings some of the nation’s most innovative minds together, including top executives from major companies and MBA students from around the country for this one-of-a-kind event.

· Known as the home to the most innovative and talented chefs in the world, it’s no surprise that New Orleans Chefs Tory McPhail (Commander’s Palace), Stephen Stryjewski (Cochon) and John Harris (Lilette) were recently announced as three of the five finalists for the 2011 James Beard Awards’ Best Chef: South category. The winner will be announced in New York City on May 9, 2011.

· In partnership with Emeril Lagasse’s foundation, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) will offer its high school students a four-year program in culinary arts. NOCCA is renowned for its creative arts programs and its ability to help aspiring musicians, dancers and artists thrive.

· Four New Orleans area hotels were recognized in March with the AAA Four Diamond Award by AAA Publishing. The Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Omni Royal Crescent Hotel and New Orleans Marriott Metairie at Lakeway were among the fewer than four percent of over 31,000 properties approved by AAA.

· New Orleans continues to set the stage as a home to fine theater. Broadway Across America has committed to New Orleans for another season. Beginning September 15, 2011, hits such as The Addams Family, Rock of Ages, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Blue Man Group and Disney’s The Lion King will bring Broadway to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre. Also, the historic Orpheum Theater began renovations this month and is set to reopen in 2012. The theater, which was home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, has been closed since 2005.

· Carnival Cruise Lines continues to commit to New Orleans. It was recently announced that the Carnival Ecstasy, which begins sailing four- and five-night cruises from New Orleans September 22-October 31, 2011, will be replaced by a newer ship, the Carnival Elation in November 2011. The new ship is also set to sail year-round for four- and five-night cruises from New Orleans. The city is also a homeport to the Carnival Triumph, which will be replaced by the Conquest in November 2011.

· April 18-20, 2011, the French Market will host Gulf Alive!, the first Gulf wholesale seafood farm/marketplace created to provide chefs, restaurants and buyers an opportunity to increase awareness of the quality and variety of Gulf Louisiana cuisine. The event will also coincide with the American Culinary Federation Central, which will bring hundreds of chefs to New Orleans.

· New Orleans City Park continues to make massive improvements to the 1,300 acre park. The City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center opened in late March and features 16 hard and 10 clay courts and a clubhouse with a pro shop, showers and a meeting room.

· The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans will undergo a $9 million guest room renovation; it’s first since opening in 2000. On October 6, 2000, it became the city’s first luxury hotel to open on Canal Street, housing 527 guest rooms, 35,000 square feet of meeting space, a 25,000 square foot day spa and fitness center.

· Ste. Marie Restaurant opened its doors in downtown New Orleans, offering guests a dining experience inspired by France’s legendary champagne houses. Ste. Marie is the brainchild of local entrepren=urs and restaurant owners Leon and Pierre Touzet and Robert LeBlanc.

· Local restaurateur, Ralph Brennan, opened Heritage Grill on March 22, 2011, a lunch only-restaurant featuring a New American menu. The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group also owns Red Fish Grill and Ralph’s on the Park.

· On March 25, 2011, the National World War II Museum’s Stage Door Canteen débuted a new production titled On the Air, a rendition of a live radio broadcast on Mother’s Day 1945.

· The Audubon Nature Institute welcomed hundreds of brightly colored birds to their family when the Audubon Aquarium opened Parakeet Point on March 25. The new exhibit will give guests the opportunity to walk among the free-flying birds while spotting a number of fascinating variations of parakeets beyond their traditional colors normally seen in the wild.

· The Young Leadership Council has announced the line-up for its 12th Annual Wednesday at the Square concert series. This year’s highly-anticipated series includes local favorites such as Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Kermit Ruffins, Cyril Neville and more.

· The Domain Companies, a national development firm based in New Orleans and New York, is working to develop the South Market District, combining 450 first-class apartments with 170,000 square feet of upscale retail, restaurants and entertainment venues in the heart of downtown New Orleans.

2011 Festival Calendar

· Zulu Lundi Gras Festival/March 7

· 25th annual Lundi Gras at Spanish Plaza with Rex/March 7

· Mardi Gras Day/March 8

· Soul Fest/March 12-13

· Spring Fiesta/March 25-April 3

· Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival/March 23-27

· Louisiana Oyster Jubilee/March 26

· New Orleans Classic Auto Festival/March 13-14

· New Orleans Roadfood Festival/March 25-27

· French Quarter Festival/April 7-10

· New Orleans Earth Day Festival & Green Business Expo/April 17

· New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Presented by Shell/April 29-May 8

· Mid City Bayou Boogaloo/May 20-22

· New Orleans Wine and Food Experience/May 24-28

· Greek Festival/May 27-29

· New Orleans Oyster Festival/June 4-5

· New Orleans Vieux to Do/June 10-12

· ESSENCE Music Festival/July 1-3

· San Fermin in Nueva Orleans/July 8-10

· Tales of the Cocktail/July 20-24

· COOLinary New Orleans/Aug. 1-Sept. 30

· Satchmo SummerFest/Aug. 4-7

· Whitney White Linen Night/Aug. 6

· Dirty Linen Night/Aug. 13

· New Orleans Red Dress Run/Aug. 13

· Southern Decadence Festival/Aug. 31-Sept. 5

· New Orleans Seafood Festival/Sept. TBD

· New Orleans Burlesque Festival/Sept. 15-17

· Gretna Heritage Festival/Oct. TBD

· Art for Arts’ Sake/Oct. TBD

· New Orleans Film Festival/Oct. TBD

· Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival/Oct. 14-16

· Krewe of Halloween/Oct. 29

· Voodoo Music Experience/Oct. 28-30

· = Louisiana Swamp Festival/Nov. TBD

· New World Rhythms Festival/Nov. 12-13

· Words and Music Literary Festival/Nov. TBD

· New Orleans Po-boy Preservation Festival/Nov. TBD

· Christmas New Orleans Style/December

· ESSENCE Music Festival has announced the lineup for the 2011 festival, July 1, 2 and 3. This year’s headlining artists include Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Jill Scott and Trey Songz.

2010 Festival Attendance

Mardi Gras 1 million +

French Quarter Festival presented by Capital One 512,000

Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell 375,000

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience 10,000

ESSENCE Music Festival 400,000

Tales of the Cocktail 17,000

Satchmo SummerFest 26,000

Southern Decadence Festival 125,000-135,000

Voodoo Music Experience 125,000-150,000

Poboy Preservation Festival 45,000

Recent Awards and Accolades

· Leisure travelers and industry leaders continue to recognize New Orleans as a top travel destination. Recently, GayCities.com named New Orleans the third most popular city in America for gay travel. Also, AOL Traveler named New Orleans a Top Budget Destination for 2011, while Rachael Ray named New Orleans a Top Three Winter Destination.

Hotels

· Founded in 1886, the historic Hotel Monteleone is celebrating 125 years of hospitality in the French Quarter. Year-long festivities in 2011 include special events, vacation getaway packages and a 125th anniversary gala.

· Adding nearly 1,200 high-quality rooms to the city’s inventory of 35,500, Hyatt Regency New Orleans is being completely repositioned and is set to open in the fall of 2011. The hotel is undergoing a multi-million dollar redevelopment, doubling its meeting and exhibition space to 200,000 square feet.

Sports

· Arena football is back in New Orleans. The New Orleans VooDoo resumed playing at the New Orleans Arena on March 11. A complete listing of games and statistics can be found at www.arenafootball.com/team/new-orleans-voodoo.

New Orleans will host the following major sporting events from 2011-2013:

· ESPN Bassmasters Classic – Feb. 18 - 20, 2011

· Zurich Classic Golf Tournament –- April 25 - May 1, 2011

· Junior Olympic games - July 27 - Aug. 6, 2011

· State Farm Bayou Classic – Nov. 26, 2011

· R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Dec. 2011

· Allstate Sugar Bowl – Jan. 2012

· BCS Championship Game – Jan. 2012

· SEC Basketball Championship – March 8 - 11, 2012

· NCAA Men's Final Four Basketball Championship – March 31 - April 2, 2012

· Super Bowl XLVII – Feb 3, 2013

· NCAA Women's Final Four – April 7 - 10, 2013

Cruises

· The Voyager of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International will call New Orleans its homeport beginning November 12, 2011, and will offer seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean, accommodating 3,835 guests.

Museums, Films and Cultural Attractions

· The Louisiana State Museum has reopened It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana, an exhibit at the Presbytere showcasing nearly 1,000 rare artifacts including elaborate costumes and gowns, jewelry, krewe favors and lavish print materials, as well as invitations and parade posters.

· The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is celebrating 100 years in 2011. NOMA, located in City Park, houses more than 30,000 art objects encompassing 4,000 years of world art. On November 13, 2010, NOMA presented the exhibition Great Collectors/Great Donors: the Making of NOMA, 1910-2010.

· The National World War II Museum is set to open the U.S. Freedom Pavilion: Land, Sea and Air in spring of 2012. The new Pavilion will display large artifacts, including a B-17, and will honor all of the service branches that served in World War II.

· The HBO hit series Tremé, which chronicles the historic neighborhood following Hurricane Katrina and is currently filming its second season, has released a music CD featuring several of New Orleans’ extraordinary musicians. Music is also available for digital download on iTunes. The second season of Tremé is set to air on April 24, 2011.

· The lights of the legendary Saenger Theatre marquee shine bright again. The 2,700-seat Canal Street theatre, which originally opened in 1927, will undergo a $38.8 million restoration and is scheduled for completion in late 2011.

· According to the Office of Film and Video, New Orleans boasts the most diverse portfolio of film and television work in the state of Louisiana, catering to the largest of studio features, the smallest of independent projects and also to a wide range of television and commercial productions.

Major movies and productions filming in 2011 include:

· Looper

· Tremé, Season 2

· Contraband

· Medallion

For a complete listing and more information, visit www.filmneworleans.org.

Meetings and Conventions

Meetings (3,000 or more in attendance) in 2011 include:

· American Mathematical Society and Mathematics Association of America/Jan. 6-9

· American Academy of Dermatology/Feb. 4-8

· American Physical Therapy Association/Feb. 9-12

· ESPN BassMasters Classic/Feb. 18-20

· Cisco Partner Summit/Feb. 28-March 3

· Louisiana National Guard/March 11-13

· Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/March 16-19

· Sungard Higher Education/March 20-23

· American Counseling Association/March 23-27

· American College of Cardiology/April 2-5

· American Educational Research Association/April 8-12

· National Intramural Recreational Sports Association/April 13-16

· New Orleans Dental Conference/April 14-16

· National Catholic Education Association/April 26-28

· United Fresh Produce Association/May 2-5

· American Institute of Architects/May 12-14

· Rotary International/May 21-25

· American Society of Microbiology/May 21-24

· National Conference on Volunteering & Service/June 6-8

· Institute of Food Technologists/June 11-14

· National Athletic Trainers Association/June 19-22

· American Library Association/June 23-28

· American Society of Animal Science Societies/July 10-14

· Amateur Athletic Union/July 27-Aug. 6

· Disabled American Veterans/Aug. 6-9

· Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association/Aug. 29-Sept. 1

· National Association for College Admission Counseling/Sept. 22-24

· American Public Transportation Association/Oct. 3-5

· Specialty Graphic Imaging Association/Oct. 19-21

· International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans/Oct. 30-Nov. 2

· National Association for Gifted Children/Nov. 3-6

· National Communication Association/Nov. 17-20

· Diversified Business Communications/International Workboat Show/Nov. 30-Dec. 2

· American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/Dec. 4-8

The New Orleans CVB announced that International CTIA WIRELESS® will return to New Orleans, May 8-10, 2012, for the seventh time at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. International CTIA WIRELESS is the premier mobile industry event representing a vibrant $1 trillion global marketplace, and the 2012 convention is set to generate $47 million in economic impact.

Restaurants

· Former New Orleans Saints Quarterback and New Orleanian Archie Manning have partnered with Harrah’s New Orleans to open Manning’s, a restaurant and bar located in Fulton Square set to open in fall 2011.

· World-renowned chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto have announced their partnership and the formation of Home on the Range: Folse Tramonto Restaurant Development, LLC, in which their first joint venture will be Restaurant R’evolution. The restaurant is scheduled to open in the Royal Sonesta Hotel in 2011 and will offer contemporary Creole cuisine.

Airport

· The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport reported that 2010 passenger volume increased 5.1 percent to 8,153,511, up from 7,787,373 in 2009, and exceeding the FAA’s national growth projection of 2.8 percent. The 2010 numbers are a post-Katrina record number of passengers.

· In total, a $300 million modernization project is underway at the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Last March, the airport began a $16.9 million terminal improvement project that will double the size of Concourse D, creating six new gates and 8,000 square feet of space for concessions. This project, which is expected to be completed in September 2011, will create 1,000 construction jobs for the regional economy and provide an enhanced airport experience for all passengers with minimal passenger disruption.

· In July of 2010, the construction began on a new Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC). The nearly $75 million project will greatly increase rental car capacity to accommodate current needs and anticipated growth over the next 15 years and will increase capacity from 800 cars to approximately 1,800. The CONRAC will also eliminate the need for off-site shuttles to rental car facilities currently scattered throughout the area and is scheduled for completion by October 2012.

Additional flights in 2011 include:

Southwest Airlines (Third direct flight from New Orleans to Baltimore-Washington International) beginning June 2011

Delta Air Lines (Daily non-stop service to Kansas City) beginning June 6, 2011

Southwest Airlines (Third direct flight from New Orleans to Nashville) October 3, 2011

Delta Air Lines (Flying twice daily to New Orleans from Reagan National Airport in D.C.) began March 3, 2011

United Airlines (Nonstop service from New Orleans to San Francisco) resumed February 17, 2011

TOURISM INDUSTRY STATISTICS AT A GLANCE

2009 visitor numbers: 7.5 million

2009 visitor spending: $4.2 billion

2008 visitor numbers: 7.6 million

2008 visitor spending: $5.1 billion

2007 visitor numbers: 7.1 million

2007 visitor spending: $4.8 billion

2006 visitor numbers: 3.7 million

2006 visitor spending: $2.8 billion

2005 visitor numbers (January-June): 5.3 million

2005 visitor spending (January-June): $2.6 billion

2004 visitor numbers: 10.1 million

2004 visitor spending: $4.9 billion

2003 visitor numbers: 8.5 million

2003 visitor spending: $4.5 billion

Taxes: $250-300 million in tax revenues … more than any other business sector

Economic impact of tourism: $5 billion

Employment: Nearly 70,000

Hotels: 210 and 35,550 hotel rooms

Restaurants: 1,153 (www.nomenu.com)

Airport: As of April 2011; 16,504 seats serving 37 destinations

About the New Orleans CVB

The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a nationally accredited, 1,000-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. We create $5 billion in new capital each year-more than any other business sector-by attracting millions of visitors, special events and conventions. The CVB and its members persuade thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago and four countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com.

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