September 2, 2010 - 8:20 a.m: It is encouraging that the leak has been capped. As cleanup of the Gulf continues 100 miles away, New Orleans is continuing as one of the hottest tourist destinations in the United States.
All of the things that hundreds of thousands of visitors are coming in record numbers to enjoy in America's most authentic city, New Orleans, are unchanged by the heart-wrenching environmental issues in the Gulf.
In July alone, New Orleans' tourism industry has had several sold out weekends with the famous Essence Festival, National Education Association convention and a 23,000-person national youth gathering. We also welcomed 15,000 visitors with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the largest African-American women's public service organization in the country. In addition, Travel + Leisure Magazine readers rated New Orleans the seventh best city in the U.S. and Canada as part of the 2010 World's Best Awards.
Seafood from Louisiana is safe and healthy to eat. In fact, locals seem to be enjoying their favorites more than usual. Precautionary closures are in place in some of Louisiana's commercial fishing waters, but the majority of Louisiana's fishing areas are not in the spill area nor in the current zones and remain open and bountiful.
On August 21, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, opened the remaining areas for recreational fishing, making a total of 100 percent of Louisiana waters open to recreational fishing. In addition, shrimp season officially opened on August 16 at 6 a.m. and fishing as well as oyster and crab harvesting are off to a plentiful start, with nearly 90 percent of the waters opened for commercial fishing.
To date, all tests are coming back showing that Louisiana seafood is safe to consume. (And we know it tastes better and is used in more famous dishes than seafood from any other part of the world.) This is important for consumers who need to know that their food is safe to eat, but also for fishermen who need to be able to sell their product with confidence.
Tourism is the economic engine and largest employer in New Orleans. We hope to welcome you to New Orleans for Coolinary New Orleans, Southern Decadence Fest, Voodoo Music Experience and dozens of cultural celebrations over the next few months. Check out www.neworleanscvb.com home page for a calendar of events.
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