NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau released the following information about what’s new in the hospitality industry this September:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – RECENT AWARDS
• New Orleans was named the number one city in the U.S. for International Visitor Growth in 2015.
The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Travel & Tourism Office, a section within the International Trade Administration announced a 37% increase in international visitors to New Orleans and a 36% increase in international visitors to Louisiana.
• Elle UK named New Orleans one of the "Top 5 Music Destinations in the World," August 2016.
• Travel + Leisure has named New Orleans "Number 1 City for Food in the U.S.," August 2016.
The Best Cities for Food in the U.S. list is a part of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2016. Results are conducted by readers of the magazine, website and social media.
New Orleans was also ranked "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.
• Condé Nast Traveler ranked New Orleans number nine on the list of "Friendliest Cities in the U.S.", August 2016.
• New Orleans was named one of "2016's Top Labor Day Destinations" by HotelPlanner.com, August 2016.
• New Orleans restaurant, N7, named in "Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America" by Bon Appétit, August 2016.
RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
• 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.
• Allegiant Air has announced non-stop flights from Concord, NC to New Orleans with fares as low as $45 beginning on November 18, 2016.
• GLO Airlines has announced its fifth non-stop flight destination from New Orleans to Huntsville, AL beginning on September 30, 2016.
This new flight to Huntsville, AL will be offered three days a week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• The Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans has announced their 40th Anniversary Season offerings, including the Performing and Visual Arts Season that will highlight interdisciplinary; spirit of forward-thinking dreamers.
The CAC 40th season began in August and will continue through June 30, 2017.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS
• The inaugural New Orleans Daiquiri Season is set to take over New Orleans for the month of September.
Formerly the New Orleans Daiquiri Festival, the Tales of the Cocktail team is bringing back the festival as a season with 30 days of special events and tastings across New Orleans.
• Southern Decadence, the largest LGBT event in New Orleans, returns to New Orleans’ French Quarter for its 45th year August 31-September 5 for a weekend of parties, concerts, parades and revelry.
New Orleans is a major destination for LGBT travelers, affirming the history of diversity, tolerance and inclusiveness in welcoming all.
• Louisiana Seafood Festival will welcome a weekend full of seafood, live music, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, an arts village, family activities and more to the City Park Festival Grounds September 2-4.
This festival celebrates the fresh and flavorful bounty of seafood in Louisiana.
Advance tickets are $8 per day or $22 for a weekend pass. Tickets will increase to $10 per day at the gate, with proceeds extending support to flood victims in Louisiana.
• Jazz in the Park returns to Armstrong Park on September 8th offering much more than a live concert series, with local music, artwork and lots of food vendors.
Jazz in the Park will occur every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. through November 3, 2016.
• The 4th Annual Downriver Festival will celebrate “Oysters & the Future of Our Coast” along the Mississippi River with live music, cooking demonstrations, presentations and panels on Saturday, September 10th from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the Old U.S. Mint and the French Market.
• Throughout the week of September 12-18, Restaurant Week New Orleans, formerly “We Live to Eat Restaurant Week,” offers discounted menus across the city.
Restaurant Week New Orleans offers lunch menus for $20 or less, as well as dinner and brunch menus for $39 or less.
• The 8th annual New Orleans Burlesque Festival will host parties, discussion panels, burlesque workshops and the Queen of Burlesque competition September 15-18.
• The inaugural Fried Chicken Festival will take place on September 25th in Lafayette Square with over 20 restaurants offering their take on the celebrated southern staple.
The festival will celebrate National Chicken Finger Day from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. with family-friendly activities, live music throughout the day and of course, lots of fried chicken.
Vendors will compete to win the title in the Best Fried Chicken Contest, judged by local and national food experts.
• Festivals will continue through October with some big names and local favorites:
Hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center, Art for Arts’ Sake will welcome over 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 returns 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 and more.
Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival, presented by the New Orleans Film Society, returns for its 27th year October 12-20.
The New Orleans Film Festival received more than 4,000 submissions from 115 different countries and will be showcasing a lineup of 200 films.
The 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.
New Orleans’ official Halloween Parade, the Krewe of Boo will roll Saturday, October 22 from the Marigny Neighborhood to Downtown New Orleans.
October 23rd will mark the 10th annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival with live music, local merchants and more than 50 vendors offering their best po-boy.
Halloween weekend brings the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience October 28-30, with an impressive lineup of artists including G-Eazy, Band of Horses, Kevin Gates, Mutemath and more.
View a full list of festivals here
RESTAURANTS
• Chef Emeril Lagasse’s newest restaurant in New Orleans, Meril, will open its doors on September 24th.
Meril is the first new restaurant in New Orleans for Chef Emeril Lagasse in almost two decades.
Chef Will Avelar will be at the helm in the kitchen. He most recently served as sous chef at Emeril’s Delmonico.
It is named after the celebrity chef’s daughter and will have a menu inspired by meals Lagasse enjoys cooking at home for his family, dishes he’s enjoyed while traveling as well as inspiration from years of experience.
The restaurant is located in the New Orleans Warehouse District and will be open daily for lunch and dinner.
AIRPORT
• Construction has begun 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 also added a variety of new flights:
Allegiant (One new twice-weekly departure to Concord Regional Airport beginning November 18, 2016)
GLO Airlines (Three times weekly departure to Huntsville International Airport beginning on September 30, 2016)
Condor (One new twice-weekly departure to Frankfurt, Germany, beginning May 3, 2017)
Allegiant (One new twice-weekly departure to Tulsa International Airport, May 26, 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)
Branson AirExpress (Return of seasonal air service four times weekly to Branson Airport, May 26-August 14, 2016)
• Condor will begin seasonal nonstop flights from Frankfurt, Germany to New Orleans twice weekly on 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.
MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS
• American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine Annual Meeting | September 13-25
This annual meeting is the premier event for Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic medicine professionals; it will host guest speakers, workshops and educational sessions focusing on all realms of electrodiagnosis neuromuscular diseases and neuromuscular ultrasound.
Projected attendance: 1,200
• ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. ServiceMaster Experience | September 14-17
For the first time, the inaugural ServiceMaster Experience will bring all cleaning, home maintenance, pest control and lawn fertilization brands together to showcase services through a state-of-the-art, interactive mobile exhibit.
Projected attendance: 1,400
• Water Environment Federation (WEFTEC) | September 24-28
WEFTEC is North America’s largest meeting of its kind, offering water quality professionals from around the globe the opportunity to learn water quality education and training.
Projected attendance: 18,000
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, NOCVB reps said. 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 its New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago and four foreign countries, they said. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 56th anniversary in 2016.
