It’s been less than six months since New Orleans hosted its 11th Super Bowl, during which the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in the Caesars Superdome.
The city has been riding high ever since, punctuated last month when Louisiana State University’s E.J. Ourso College of Business released a report that had politicians, business owners and lovers of the Big Easy ready to spike the football. According to the LSU report, Super Bowl LIX generated $1.25 billion in total economic activity statewide, more than doubling the impact of the 2013 New Orleans Super Bowl and ranking as the second-most financially impactful Super Bowl of all-time.
“Super Bowl LIX was a tremendous success for New Orleans and all of Louisiana,” Gov. Jeff Landry said of the report authored by Dek Terrell and Nikolas J. Henderson. “Hosting the Super Bowl is so much more than a football game. It’s an opportunity to drive an economic impact that is both immediate and long-term. We seized the opportunity to showcase Louisiana, and we scored huge!”
The event attracted more than 115,000 visitors from around the world to Southeast Louisiana and Nielsen reported a whopping audience of nearly 128 million people who watched Super Bowl LIX on TV and streaming platforms.
The influx of people ready to celebrate and spend money and the exposure provided in the weeks leading up to the game and immediately after are invaluable to a city driven by tourism. Of course, hotels, restaurants and bars, and shops in the city were jam packed, but the region felt benefits, too. According to David López — marketing professor and associate dean of the full-time MBA program at Esade University in Barcelona, Spain — during the Super Bowl hotels in St. Tammany Parish reached 96% occupancy and rates of $600 per night.
Reports on visitors’ Super Bowl experience in New Orleans via traditional and new media proved invaluable, with many saying New Orleans should not only host its 12th Super Bowl as soon as possible, but also be considered as a permanent host.
NFL Network analyst Ian Rapoport wrote, “Leaving New Orleans after an unforgettable Super Bowl, it’s easy to see why so many in the NFL want this city to host more of them.
“Incredible food, amazing hospitality, excellent drinks, a first-class experience. Even the airport was more than ready. Kudos to all involved.”
Albert Breer, who covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated, wrote, “On the tarmac to leave New Orleans, and I’ll say it again — no other city comes close as a Super Bowl host. From the walkability to the bars to the restaurants … whoever’s second is way behind. Next Super Bowl that’s not spoken for is in February 2029. Don’t mess this up, @NFL!”
Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The New York Times’ The Athletic, wrote, “You don’t just attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, you get swept up in it, devoured, and spit back out. It’s why many around the NFL were buzzing around the streets saying the same thing: New Orleans needs to host every year.”
NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell definitely heard the great reviews the city received, just weeks after the city experienced a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day. At the press conference handing off Super Bowl LX to its host city San Francisco, he said, “I want to thank the people of New Orleans This game came at a perfect time for them. They lifted us up. Hopefully, we lifted them up and the world saw it. To see the culture and the strength of the people of New Orleans was really extraordinary.
“It was a great Super Bowl for us,” Goodell added. “Eleven Super Bowls in the books here in New Orleans, and we look forward to Super Bowl [No.] 12 in New Orleans pretty soon.”
Chris Price is an award-winning journalist and public relations principal. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors, and Saints, Ole Miss and Chelsea football.
