NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau released the following information about what’s new in the hospitality industry this October:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – RECENT AWARDS
• New Orleans’ National WWII Museum was named "No. 4 Museum in the U.S.” and “No. 11 Museum in the World” by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards 2016.
• One of the “Top 25 Coastal Cities in the World,” by Chicago Line Cruises.
• The Bourbon Orleans Hotel was named one of the "Top 10 Most Haunted Hotels in America" by Architectural Digest.
• New Orleans’ restaurants: Shaya and Brennan’s, included in Condé Nast Traveler Magazine’s “Where in the World to Eat Awards 2016.”
• New Orleans’ restaurants: GW Fins, Restaurant August and Shaya included in Forbes’ “100 Best Restaurants for Foodies in America 2016.”
• One of the “Top 5 Music Destinations in the World,” by Elle UK.
• The “Number 1 City for Food in the U.S.” by Travel + Leisure.
New Orleans was also ranked “No. 2 Best City for Culture in the U.S.,” “No. 7 City in the World” and No. 2 among “The Best Cities in the U.S.” in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2016.
RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
• New Orleans has been selected to host the 2017 Bayou Country Superfest for the festival’s first occurrence outside of Baton Rouge.
Bayou Country Superfest previously took place at LSU Tiger Stadium, but due to stadium renovations, the three-day music festival will occur at New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome over Memorial Day Weekend.
The festival will open with an evening concert celebration at Champions Square on Friday, May 26 and will continue with two days of an outdoor Fan Fest and two nights of indoor performances by some of the biggest names in country music. The full talent lineup as well as ticket details will be announced December 1, 2016.
• The North Rampart Street/St. Claude Avenue Streetcar line has begun service transporting passengers from the French Quarter to Elysian Fields Avenue.
The 1.6-mile long streetcar route is a part of several Regional Transit Authority (RTA) upgrades, renovations and service improvements to the bus and streetcar schedules and routes. These modifications are helping to improve transportation across New Orleans for locals and visitors.
• New Orleans has been selected to host the 66th NBA All-Star Game 2017 for the third time in 10 years. The game will be played on Sunday, February 19th at the Smoothie King Center.
• Centerplate Catering Company has launched “Creole, of Course”, a multi-sensory, multi-course, historical jazz dinner theater show at the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center to commemorate the city’s upcoming Tricentennial.
Creole, of Course was created for locals and visiting groups to learn New Orleans’ rich history while experiencing all aspects of its culture. Group reservations are now available for shows beginning in January 2017.
• The New Orleans Steamboat Company has purchased the former “Rock Island Casino” Sternwheeler Riverboat. The riverboat will undergo a complete renovation before hosting dinner, harbor cruises and private charters on the Mississippi River, complementing the Steamboat NATCHEZ.
The new vessel has a much larger interior than the NATCHEZ, licensed to hold 1,000 passengers to begin sailing in New Orleans in late 2017.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS
• The 11th annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival will bring local and regional art vendors, live music and lots of great barbecue with an emphasis on Louisiana cuisine to Lafayette Square October 14-16.
• The Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival, presented by the New Orleans Film Society, returns October 12-20 for its 27th year.
This year’s festival will premiere Iwerks & Co.’s “Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table,” the documentary of Commander’s Palace and the Brennan family’s matriarch. Brennan is credited with launching the careers of dozens of chefs, including Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, as well as creating the concept of New Orleans’ infamous jazz brunches and pioneering Creole cuisine into the industry it is today.
Last year’s film festival screened more than 200 films over the course of nine days, welcoming more than 200,000 festival attendees. This year’s festival received more than 4,000 film submissions from 115 different countries.
• The Crescent City’s official Halloween parade, the Krewe of Boo!, will roll Saturday, October 22nd through the “Boo Carré” extending from Elysian Fields Ave. and Decatur St. through the French Quarter ending at Mardi Gras World.
A series of events will surround this year’s Krewe of Boo!, including a free and open-to-the-public king’s party on Fulton Street, featuring musical performances by Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. and Amanda Shaw. The parade will commence with the Monster Mash, a ticketed costume event at Mardi Gras World, featuring live entertainment from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
The Krewe of Boo! will continue their tradition of primarily throwing locally-made edible items and collectables to parade goers in an effort to reduce waste.
• October 23rd will mark the 10th annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, with more than 40 food vendors serving their best po-boy alongside live music, the Where Y’Art’s Market, New Orleans merchants and dozens of local and regional breweries.
2016’s festival will celebrate a new addition of Po-Boys & Pints, welcoming breweries to showcase their finest craft beers.
• Halloween weekend brings the annual Voodoo Music + Arts Experience back to New Orleans City Park October 28-30.
This year boasts an impressive lineup of artists including The Weeknd, G-Eazy, Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, Kevin Gates, Mutemath and more.
• Hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center, Art for Arts' Sake welcomed more than 30,000 guests to stroll the Warehouse District art galleries, gift shops and exhibits along Julia Street and Magazine Street on October 1st.
• Tremé Fall Festival returned October 1-2 for the second-annual celebration of this cherished New Orleans neighborhood through live music, food, arts, building projects, free health screenings and tours of St. Augustine Church.
RESTAURANTS
• Chef Emeril Lagasse’s newest New Orleans restaurant, Meril, is open for business.
Meril is the first new restaurant in New Orleans for Chef Emeril Lagasse in almost two decades.
• Chef Isaac Toups will open Toups South inside of Central City’s Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) on October 5th, 2016.
Cajun Chef Isaac Toups first opened Toups’ Meatery in Mid-City after being named Bravo’s Top Chef Fan Favorite. Toups South will be the chef’s second restaurant, including a menu that focuses less on Cajun and more the entire South.
HOTELS
• New Castle Hotels & Resorts recently opened the 103-suite Fairfield Inn & Suites in the Central Business District of New Orleans.
The building was originally constructed in 1910 as the Interstate Electric Company and has undergone at $10 million transformation.
• The Astor Crowne Plaza – New Orleans French Quarter has recently unveiled a $13 million makeover to its 700 rooms, meeting spaces, lobby and more.
• The Polo Club Lounge at the Windsor Court hotel has reopened after a summer expansion including the addition of nearly 1,000 square feet.
AIRPORT
• JetBlue has begun daily, non-stop flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from New Orleans.
JetBlue is celebrating its 15th year flying to and from New Orleans.
• Construction is underway on a new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, set to debut in 2018.
• This $826 million project will feature 30 gates, a 2,000-car parking garage, a central utility plant and a ground transportation staging area.
• The new terminal is projected to have a $3.2 billion annual economic impact on tourism in New Orleans.
The airport has added a variety of new flights:
• Condor (One new twice-weekly departure to Frankfurt, Germany, beginning May 3, 2017)
This will be New Orleans’ first nonstop flight to Europe since the 1980s and will connect New Orleans passengers to more than 120 other cities in the Eastern hemisphere through Condor’s partner airlines.
Flights will depart on Wednesdays and Sundays on a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 259 seats.
The flight is estimated to bring nearly 10,000 people to New Orleans annually.
• Allegiant (One new twice-weekly departure to Tulsa International Airport, May 26, 2016)
• Branson AirExpress (Return of seasonal air service four times weekly to Branson Airport, May 26-August 14, 2016)
• GLO (Two new seasonal weekly departures to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, June 24-September 5, 2016)
• JetBlue (One new daily departure to Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, beginning September 29, 2016)
• GLO Airlines (Three times weekly departure to Huntsville International Airport beginning on September 30, 2016)
• Allegiant (One new twice-weekly departure to Concord Regional Airport beginning November 18, 2016)
• GLO Airlines (One new flight to Cleveland beginning February 17, 2017)
MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS
Meetings (3,000 or more in attendance) include:
• The EMS World Expo | October 3-7
America’s largest Emergency Medical Services event will host state-of-the-art technology, more than 140 educational sessions and events including the World Trauma Symposium and international networking opportunities within the EMS field.
Projected attendance: 3,000
• The National Black MBA Association’s Annual Conference & Exposition | October 13-14
This annual conference is one of the largest networking and professional development events in the U.S. The conference welcomes business-minded professionals who are eager to grow in their careers, education, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and leadership through a career networking center, hospitality receptions and several panels and informational sessions.
Projected attendance: 12,000
• The American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting & Expo | October 21-24
This meeting and expo is the largest gathering of landscape architecture professionals and students in the world, featuring 120 educational sessions, 15 field sessions, four workshops and two general sessions throughout the meeting.
Projected attendance: 5,000
• The Infectious Diseases Society of America IDWeek | October 26-30
IDWeek is the annual scientific meeting for infectious diseases healthcare professionals to attend interactive panels, round-table discussions and several types of lectures to contribute to the improvement of patient care and public health.
Projected attendance: 7,000
• International Pool Spa Patio Expo | October 31-November 3
The Intl. Pool Spa Patio Expo will welcome all builders, retailers, service companies, designers, landscape architects and more to this premiere event for all pool, spa and outdoor living professionals.
Projected attendance: 3,000
The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence 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., Chicago and four foreign countries, reps said. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 56th anniversary in 2016.
