The Ranger Online

Issue date: 5/18/06 Section: J School Travels

Media Credit: Joseph M. de Leon Bob and Peg Campbell of Placerville, Calif., celebrate their 18th anniversary as the Uptown Strutters perform.

Before Aug. 29, New Orleans was well on its way to setting a record in tourism revenue for 2005 - until Katrina came into the picture and wiped out the tourism industry in the city.

Although the city's top destination sites, such as the French Quarter and the Garden District, came out almost unscathed from the hurricane, media coverage of the breached levees inundating the city with bacteria-laden water gave a bruise to the Big Easy's reputation for luring visitors intent on eating, drinking and making merry.

In 2004, New Orleans welcomed 10.1 million visitors into the city, John Deveney of Deveney Communications, the city's public relations firm for two years, said.

Those visitors have dropped $5.5 billion within the New Orleans metropolitan area.

The hotel-motel occupancy rate for the first seven months of 2005 was 69.1 percent.

"New Orleans has a really strong pull for being an authentic and romantic city in the country," Deveney said. "They can see it in the music and architecture."

Also, New Orleans had a thriving art community.

With so much history and culture, the city is intent on rebuilding and reopening its doors.

The city is also recognized globally for its cuisine with famous dishes such as gumbo and red beans and rice.

"The city was founded by so many cultures," Deveney said, noting French, Spanish and Native American influences.

Officially, the city has not been open for tourism for the past four months, but tourists have been trickling in.

Jan. 1 was a scheduled rebirth with city and state officials gathering to reopen the city to tourists.

As tourists return, Deveney says they will be able to see where history was made but also see history in the making.

"The people will revive our economy."

Deveney says lodging for tourists is something the city is aware needs attention.

By early December, the city had 18,000 hotel rooms available. After Jan. 1, 20,000 rooms should be available.

"We are absolutely ready to host visitors," Deveney said. "Even more so now."

In the flea market in the French Market, about 12 booths are set up selling small trinkets, purses, sunglasses and T-shirts, with empty spaces outnumbering the booths.

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