NEW ORLEANS — Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson is in the midst of a 10-day trip to Germany and Italy, where she recently met with members of the Papal Foundation among other business and tourism groups. She is promoting investment in New Orleans and the renovation of the St. Louis Cathedral. During a Rome visit, she had a personal audience with Pope Francis, presenting him with a Saints jersey. While in the city, she also met with Italian leaders in economic development and tourism.
The trip includes Mercedes-Benz global meetings in Stuttgart, Germany. On April 17, she spent time meeting with the German head of foreign trade, Gunther Schmid, as well as the lead staff at the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism.
“This has been a very productive trip promoting and talking investment and tourism for our state of Louisiana,” Benson said in a press release. “There is so much excitement among the people that I met with in Rome, wishing to help us in the restoration of the St. Louis Cathedral. In Germany, there is tremendous interest in investment and business connection with our state. They love NFL football in Germany, so that was a plus. I wanted to take advantage of this unique opportunity to promote our state, encourage business development and of course promote our great tourism industry in Louisiana and New Orleans.”
