Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser announced record tourism numbers for 2018. The state welcomed 51.3 million visitors in 2018, representing an increase of nine percent over the 47.1 million visitors reported by DK Shifflet in April 2017. The state welcomed strong numbers of international visitors during the calendar year, the biggest overseas market being the United Kingdom. Visitors spent $18.8 billion, an increase of seven percent over 2017. The travel and tourism industry generated $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2018. Tax revenue generated through travel and tourism spending saves each household in Louisiana $1,082 a year in taxes that would be needed to maintain current services.
“We’ve seen a continued growth over the past three years of hotel accommodations, attractions, and tourism jobs throughout Louisiana. This growth has enabled us to continue successfully increasing our visitation numbers to reach 51.3 million,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “By promoting Louisiana as a place where you can Feed Your Soul, we can attract more visitors, which means more tax revenue we can generate. Through continuing to prioritize efforts to promote Louisiana and with the ongoing support of our partners across the state, we can continue this success.”
Neil Jones, the UK account manager to New Orleans and Louisiana added “We are so pleased to see the visitor numbers continuing an upward trend. The direct British Airways flight has been an integral part of this growth, along with increased airlift to the whole Deep South region. We want to thank our tour operator partners for their support and the reservations staff and retail agents for their enthusiasm and interest”. He continued “Louisiana offers British visitors a real taste of America, spiced with Cajun and Creole food and served with a soundtrack of jazz”
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For more information contact Kirsty Dillury at Kirsty@ttmworld.co.uk and Alex Keelan at Alex@ttmworld.co.uk or telephone the office 0208 460 7082
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