Mayor C. Ray Nagin and officials from the University of New Orleans’ (UNO’s) Hospitality Research Center, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC), the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB), and the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network (NOMTN) announced at a press conference that a record 10.1 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2004, breaking 2003’s all-time best visitation figure of 8.55 million, according to University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center.

Direct spending from visitors exceeded $4.9 billion in 2004, according to the industry research conducted by UNO, an increase of more than $400 million over 2003. That translates to over $57 million in local tax revenue and helps keep an average of over 80,000 people employed in the greater New Orleans area.

Mayor Nagin cited several indicators to support New Orleans’ reputation as a top travel destination, including UNO’s research showing the city is ranked sixth in the country in top-of-mind awareness among travelers – an improvement of three places over the previous year. The visitor study conducted by UNO showed that leisure travelers comprised 75 percent of all visitors coming to the city, and convention and business travelers comprised 25 percent.

"The national marketplace for convention and business meetings is more competitive than ever, and our ability to proactively adapt to this changing environment resulted in the city’s hosting of eight of the top medical conventions in 2004," said J. Stephen Perry, NOMCVB President and CEO.

"We’re looking forward being even more successful in 2005, with an increase of 30 percent in the number of conventions and meetings booked in New Orleans. These bookings represent a 16 percent increase in Convention Center occupancy. We also anticipate a rise in 2005 of more than 13 percent in the number of conventions with over 5,000 attendees."