NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans & Company, the official destination sales and marketing organization for the New Orleans tourism industry, released its 2024 Annual Report with highlights of accomplishments across the full gamut of regional travel and tourism spaces.
“Our team works every day to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people,” said Walt Leger, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company.
The Convention Sales team played a major role. It is the New Orleans & Co. team that serves as a centralized sales force for the city, promoting New Orleans to event planners across the country and the world. They ushered in a great year with nearly 1.5 million definite hotel room nights booked. They also secured 566,268 hotel room nights for leisure and travel trade visitors.
The dynamic Convention Services team also had an impressive year helping planners coordinate local logistics, making vendor connections, and securing hospitality resources to ensure attendees have a smooth and successful convention experience. The team assisted 298 definite groups, conducted 126 site inspections, generated 386 business leads, and made 463 referrals.
“For our members and partners, tourism means business, guests, careers, and preserving our culture for future generations,” said Leger. “For our residents, tourism means stronger infrastructure, economic development, civic pride, and tax savings for every family in Louisiana.”
New Orleans and Co. celebrated 20 years of COOLinary New Orleans, drawing over 92,000 unique visitors to its restaurant listings. COOLinary New Orleans is an annual summer dining program that showcases the city's culinary scene with specially priced prix-fixe menus at participating restaurants during the traditionally slower tourism months.
The New Orleans & Co. website, NewOrleans.com, was redesigned and saw 28 million page views and over 11 million visits in 2024. A new branding campaign featured a crescent moon logo symbolizing growth and optimism. Social media efforts generated over 4 million engagements—300% above goal—and reached 36 million impressions. The PR team surpassed targets, assisting or hosting 1,592 journalists and generating 2,659 positive stories.
To boost international tourism, New Orleans & Co. launched the first French Michelin Green Guide for New Orleans and hosted several major global events such as the Bocuse d’Or which is a prestigious biennial world chef championship dating back to 1987 by renowned French chef Paul Bocuse. The city also hosted Pastry World Cup (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie), another prestigious event drawing international participation.
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour attracted approximately 150,000 fans over three sold-out concerts, generating an estimated economic impact of $195 million with some local businesses reporting spikes of up to 900%.
“Ultimately our incredible venues, hospitality, walkability, and the way our community embraces visitors sets us apart, but it is our people that make us world-class,” said Leger.
Sending local sales and marketing people to five countries to actively promote New Orleans as a travel destination helped attract roughly 490,000 international visitors, up from 340,000 in 2023.
The city also earned multiple accolades in 2024, including recognition as a top-tier meetings and events destination with three national convention destination awards proving New Orleans is “Built to Host”. New Orleans also won silver Travvy Awards for Best Domestic Destination and Best Culinary Destination.
“While 2024 overall was a prosperous year, we are not resting on our laurels and are continuing to adapt strategies so that our hospitality industry is successful in 2025 and beyond,” said Leger. “Following an incredible Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras, we are forging ahead into the second quarter, with spring festivals and convention/meeting guests arriving every day.”
Founded in 1960, New Orleans & Co. aims to inspire, promote and encourage travel to New Orleans for the economic, social and community benefit of the city and its people.
