Twenty years ago this month, the Gulf Coast experienced one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit this country – Hurricane Katrina. Compounded by engineering and design failures, New Orleans and surrounding communities were almost entirely underwater, nearly 2,000 lives were lost, tens of thousands of people lost their homes and everything in them, and some outsiders asked why we would even consider rebuilding.
Well, not only did we rebuild, we executed one of the greatest turnaround stories in American history. Today, New Orleans stands as a symbol of hope and recovery and is celebrated as a must-see cultural destination that hosts some of the most iconic events on the planet.
As we solemnly remember the lives lost during Katrina and its aftermath, we also celebrate the incredible resilience, innovation and grit that it took to rebuild our beloved city. There was no blueprint for how to recovery from a disaster of this magnitude, but persistence and determination guided our path. A New Orleans & Company ad campaign created by Trumpet Advertising in 2007 said it best: SOUL is WATERPROOF!
Overcoming Unprecedented Brand Impairment
Our flooded neighborhoods and most iconic buildings were the scene of worldwide negative media coverage for months. After cancelling $2 billion in business, New Orleans & Company led a massive multiyear global PR campaign to let people know it was OK to visit. Without visitors, meetings and events, we could not have restarted our economy. We emerged from an all-time low of 3.7 million visitors in 2006 to a record-breaking 19 million visitors in 2019, a number we achieved again in 2024 following the COVID recovery years. We now use what we learned from Katrina to help other destinations rebuild their tourism industries after disaster, including wildfires in Hawaii, a typhoon in the Philippines, Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
Voluntourism
We thank organizations such as Maritz Travel and the American Library Association, which were among the first to return post-Katrina, for not only boosting our economy by hosting meetings and conventions here, but giving their time to rebuild parks and libraries across our community. Their generosity kick-started the “voluntourism” trend that still creates a positive impact today.
Awards
New Orleans has been named the “Most Walkable City in the World” by AllClear; a “Top Three Convention Destination” by Simpleview in 2024; and one of the “Best Cities in the World to Visit” by TimeOut and The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) was named “Best Airport in North America.” In 2014, National Geographic Traveler named New Orleans as one of the “20 Must-See Destinations in the World.” For a full award list, visit NewOrleans.com.
Sports Mecca
Post-Katrina, we’ve hosted two Super Bowls, two NCAA Men’s Final Fours, one Women’s Final Four, the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff Championships, three NBA All-Star Weekends, two WrestleManias (2014 and 2018, with more to come), UFC 318 and so much more.
Major Investments
- The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC), the sixth-largest convention facility in the country, is finishing up a $557 million renovation with over 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space to be completed in 2026. NOENMCC is also the largest convention center to receive the Gold LEED designation.
- The Caesars Superdome recently finished a $560 million renovation prior to Super Bowl LIX, in addition to the over $450 million in renovations completed post-Katrina and the decade after. Caesars Entertainment spent $435 million to rebrand Harrah’s Casino and build a new 340-room hotel tower last fall. In addition, the Four Seasons Hotel+Residences moved into the former World Trade Center in 2020, and the Virgin brand entered New Orleans with a new downtown hotel opening in 2021.
- Perhaps our best post-Katrina success metric is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $14.5 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, one of the most technically advanced coastal flood protection systems in the world. This system of barriers, sector gates, floodwalls, floodgates and levees provide a veritable “wall” around the Greater New Orleans area. During Hurricane Ida in 2021, the flood protection system worked as planned, and we hosted a major meeting in New Orleans two weeks later. This is vital as it instills confidence in residents, investors, visitors and customers that New Orleans is the most prepared community across the Gulf South, maybe in the nation, to weather future disasters.
To our fellow citizens: Thank you for answering the call to rebuild the most remarkable, unique and welcoming place in the world! Without you, New Orleans could never be such a great place to live, work, visit and invest.
Walt Leger III is president and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination marketing and sales organization for New Orleans tourism industry. He may be reached via email at walt@neworleans.com.
