Welcome to New Orleans - Official New Orleans Information

"I was in New Orleans over the weekend - my first time - and I fell in love. What a fabulous city - incredible architecture, wonderful food, and the friendliest people I have ever met. I have travelled all over the world and never met people as friendly and welcoming as your residents. I have to say 'thank you' for making me feel at home. At one of the parades, the family on one side of us offered us snacks, while the family on the other side of us heard we were from out of town and took the time to explain some of the traditions and even gave us some of their beads! I felt as though the people of New Orleans were immensely proud of their city and their events and that they wanted us to share in that pride. I was also overwhelmed by the fantastic restaurant choices in the city. We loved Cochon and Todd English's restaurant. I had no idea New Orleans offered such great cuisine! In short, thank you for what I can only describe as my best weekend ever! We will definitely be back for many more visits to New Orleans."
-Jon Wojciechowski, Jr., February 6,2008

"I just wanted to thank you so much for all your help with the Christmas Fam. In all of my 27 years in the travel business, I had never made it to New Orleans, even though I send many clients there. I will now sell it differently then I did before and with more knowledge. I loved where our hotel was, the Hilton Riverside. The food was unbelievable. We enjoyed the lunch at Bacco's, drinks at Pat O'Brien's, Cafe Du Monde, Preservation Hall and Mardi Gras World. We really accomplised a lot in the three days we were there. We had dinner at three great restaurants, Mr. B's, Palace Cafe and Broussard's. All were great. Thank you again. We loved your city and are looking forward to another visit, in the near future."
--Shelly Fogelman, The World of Travel, December 17, 2007

This [Christmas FAM] was a great FAM! We had been saying nothing about New Orleans...but now we can say "New Orleans is ready!" The Redfish Grill is outstanding - we've already recommended it to several people.
--Judy and Joe Young, Christmas FAM participants, December 14, 2007

"Thank you for the recent 'Summer Fam Tour.' I had a great time staying in your city. I enjoyed the cooking school, city tour and the museums. I plan to tell my clients all the great ways to spend a long weekend in New Orleans."
--Sara Sileo, Carson Wagonlit Travel, September 6, 2007

"I just want to thank you for your generosity during my stay in New Orleans at the Sheraton August 16-18, 2007. From the beignets at Cafe du Monde to the buffet at the Court of Two Sisters, to our lovely hotel, it was a most enjoyable and educational visit. New Orleans is back!! Thank you again."
--Ralph Andru, Travel Time Tours, August 22, 2007

"I was able to participate in the New Orleans Summer Fam. I wanted to thank the Visitors Bureau and DMI for the opportunity. I actually booked a client on a full package yesterday when I got back! I was so excited about New Orleans!"
--Linda DeForest, All Seasons Travel, August 2007

"I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you my husband and I are both travel agents that took advantage of your recent Travel Agent July/Aug Fam. We just arrived back home from a wonderful stay.

I can't tell you how much we got out of the FAM.

We stayed at the Maison Dupuy as we book many clients at that hotel and enjoyed the hotel very much. More important, we got a real feel for the area with the coupons we were given - I can't tell you have valuable those were to help us make recommendations of things for our clients to do.

Thank you for offering this FAM - we work for Joystar with more than 4,000 other travel agents and we will recommend this FAM to our fellow agents as a way to really experience all that New Orleans has to offer for our clients."
--Helen Prochilo-Maley, Joystar, July 2007

I just returned from the FAM this weekend and I had a wonderful time. I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to go. We did the Grayline City Tour and that was very interesting especially the cemetery tour. I really enjoyed seeing the Oak Alley Plantation, I wish I had more time to see the Laura. The Hotel Monteleone was awesome. Everyone in New Orleans was so nice and pleasant. I just want to let you know that I will give New Orleans a good recommendation. Thank you again for the wonderful opportunity.
--Cindy Fisher, UniWorld Travel, July 2007

"We recently visited New Orleans and stayed at the Marriott on Canal Street. The VIP Pass and brochures you promised were there waiting on us. We certainly appreciated your thoughtfulness and the city’s hospitality. We look forward to future visits, and will not hesitate to recommend a stay in New Orleans pre- or post-cruise."
--Ben Catalina, Cruises Inc., April 2007

"I would just like to say that a friend and I, visited New Orleans the end of October. We had people telling us we'd better not go to New Orleans, the crime is terrible there, plus it's Halloween and God only knows what could happen to you. Well, we went and I have to say that neither of us had one moment of fear. We found the people of New Orleans to be so very very kind and helpful. I fell on a dark street where there was some bricks missing from the sidewalk and two locals, possibly street people, came back and helped me up and offered to help me back to my hotel. They did not have to do that. It was an unreal experience that makes me want to come back again and again. Can I just say there is crime in every city, the bigger the city the more crime there is. The news media will do anything these days for ratings and to sell newspapers, even at the expense of the livelihood of others. If you use your head while visiting and don't go to places that look or feel unsafe, you'll be fine. Or do as we did and take the advise of locals who told us if we stayed between the river and Bourbon Street we'd be fine and we were. We even walked clear down to Emeril's! No problem! I can not think of words to describe my experience in New Orleans. It was like no other place I've ever visited. I've never felt so warm and welcome in any place in my lifetime. An example; I forgot my brand new $300.00 camera in a croissant shop. I panicked when I realized that I did not have it and went running back to the shop all the while silently hoping that if someone sat at our table it would be a local, because if it was, I felt confident that my camera would still be there waiting for me....and it was! The man, obviously local, sitting at my table merely said, "I had a feeling you'd be back for this!" What a testimony for a wonderful city! So to the tourists, conventions and whoever else has considered New Orleans, I say 'Come on Down!'"
--Betty Zmij, U.S. Tours, Janaury 2007

"I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful time we had in New Orleans. We did so much while we were there! Food was excellent, people were nice. Our hotel, the Chateau Hotel on Rue Chartres was excellent. The cruise port was vey smooth. I have told everyone--go to New Orleans!"
--Kim Saito, ACC, Avanti Travel, January 2007

"Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed my time in New Orleans. I thought the hotel location was great and I walked my legs off trying to get every thing in. I was also able to find the cruise facility for future use. I will be giving a favorable and detailed report to my colleagues in the office. Again many thanks for the Fam."
--Shelby Titian, Marlin/ Thomas Cook Travel, December 2006

"I wanted to take the time to let you know how much I enjoyed my weekend in your city. Although I didn't get to use most of the vouchers, I enjoyed myself tremendously. The Cajun Queen had some cancellations, but we were able to squeeze on Saturday night for dinner. The Sheraton was first-rate and I'm glad to see the French Quarter, in general, is alive and thriving. The Court of Two Sisters? Wow! I regret that I wasn't able to venture out and see how the rest of the city is coming along, but I would have no reservations recommending my clients to go back to The Big Easy!"
--Darryl General, American Travel Bureau, December 2006

"Last week I went on the Christmas Fam and took my husband along. We had a wonderful time, and fell in love with New Orleans all over again. My husband and I just spent December 12-14 there, and I can tell you we were very glad we went, and left wishing we had more time! We stayed in the French Quarter at my personal favorite, Hotel Monteleone, on Royal Street. Royal Street reminds me of a typical street in Europe, with antique shops and small art galleries. It was all still there, and the Monteleone is as beautiful as ever. However, there are less people in the streets and it's quieter than before. Most all of the restaurants, shops and attractions in the Quarter are up and running again....they just need patrons. New Orleans needs people to come and spend money, and they will show you a good time. We received wonderful service, in spite of the fact that there is a shortage of service employees. When you tip them well, you can sense their gratitude. We had good food and service, heard great music, saw beautiful artwork, and were well entertained. The New Orleans spirit is still alive."
--Carol Hayes, TraveLink Services, December 2006

"Best Damn Sports Show Period had such a wonderful time bringing the show to New Orleans, FSN hopes for the opportunity to do it again. The trip had something for everyone -- from the great shopping on Magazine Street to the unique bohemian vibe of Faubourg Marigny. The inventive Creole and Cajun dishes are unmatched anywhere else in the country and of course, Bourbon Street is back to hosting its one-of-a-kind, non-stop party. It was great to see the city's successful rebirth and even more pleasurable to be a small part of it."
--- Justin Simon, Media Relations Director, Fox Sports Network, October 9, 2006

"Along with about 200 of my colleagues in Delta Sales and Distribution, I recently spent four days at a conference in New Orleans. I am extremely happy to report that the French Quarter and downtown business areas are up and running full steam. Hotels, restaurants, bars, music and conference facilities are all intact and open - now all they need are for customers to return. As part of our Delta conference, we all spent a day in community service working with Habitat for Humanity, which is building housing in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods, the 9th Ward. The experience was sobering, of course, but felt very safe and rewarding. I spent the day nailing baseboards into a house that was going to be occupied by a musician's family and it felt so good to give back in even a small way. I encourage you to consider New Orleans as a location for some of your small meetings. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta Hotel right on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. The hotel was very lovely with great service, and gave us an excellent rate. If you do plan a meeting in New Orleans, it would be a worthwhile thing to consider including a day of community service while your people are there to lend a hand." -- Dana K. Hill, Corporate Sales Account
-Executive, Delta Air Lines/ SFO, October 2, 2006

"As some of you are aware I spent my Labor Day weekend in New Orleans, 'The Crescent City'. I booked my vacation with some hesitation as to all the stories and rumors going around. While there is still alot of damage in some of the neighborhoods of this great city, the French Quarter, Business District and the Garden District were pretty much saved from Katrina. These areas are the areas in which our customer would spend their time. As you are all aware New Orleans is released and ready to book. From my perspective you can sell this great destination again with confidence. The city of New Orleans will need all the help they can get. With this in mind, while I was there everyone I met greeted me with a smile and thanked me for coming. The residents and business owners of New Orleans may be down but they're not out. It was encouraging to see that people who faced such devastation have pulled together to rebuild their city and do it with a smile on their face. Let's do our part by booking New Orleans with confidence. The Cajun cooking is on the stove, the jazz is playing, the nightlife is kicking and everyone is happy that you came."

-Kirk Klaasesz, Training Coordinator, Certified Vacations Group, Inc., September 7, 2006

New Orleans still needs a lot of help. However, the facilities for a meeting (such as ours) and even a pleasure visit can be done without hesitation. It needs a revitalization of people coming and going. They are ready for us and we all should assist in promoting this destination.

I had a great time. The city needs tourism and the Quarter is ready. People are friendly and want business. We in the industry need to help them.

New Orleans is returning to the perfect getaway destination for our clients. As one celebrates New Orleans with the locals, you understand the pride and enthusiasm they show for this city of wonderful contrasts. Accommodations, cuisine, entertainment and more are waiting to be shared.

The gracious and warm welcome we received started at the airport and didn’t stop. Everyone’s attitude has been “We are moving ahead, even if slowly.” I was amazed at the people’s attitudes: There was no whining about their problems, past or present. The residents love this city and are working to revitalize it. Everyone seems to be happy we are here and that we are supporting the return of tourism. I was also surprised that things are as far along as they are, even if only in the Quarter. It really needs to be seen to be believed. I am comfortable that it’s time to send clients back to New Orleans. I can feel a new beginning

The city and people of New Orleans suffered a devastating loss last year, a loss that really affected the entire country. Given the tremendous devastation from Hurricane Katrina, it’s truly amazing how far the city has come in getting back on its feet. The main tourist areas are open for business; jazz is blaring on Bourbon Street and the hotels, restaurants and shops are open and ready to welcome our clients with open arms.

Kathryn W. Sudeikis, CTC
President and CEO
American Society of Travel Agents
All About Travel
Mission, KS

What an honor and privilege it is to be here in this great city. The spirit and resilience one can feel when interacting with the people of this city makes me anxious to go out and spread the word that New Orleans is alive and well and ready for visitors.

Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC
President
National Association of Commissioned
Travel Agents (NACTA) and TravelSellers

Visitors to New Orleans will be surrounded by the ‘Let the good times roll’ spirit. Travel agents and their clients will enjoy terrific hotels, gourmet restaurants and great clubs. The people of this great city are here and ready to welcome travelers with open arms.

I was very excited to be back in New Orleans after quite a few years, although I have always recommended it to clients. I was anxious to see for myself the current status of New Orleans as a destination. Things look like they are getting back to normal; I will be sending clients to New Orleans, especially as a starting point for cruises.