Louisiana Office Of Tourism, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau Partner To Promote Louisiana To 6,400 Travel Professionals At IPW 2017

NEW ORLEANS – Reps with the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau recently returned from the U.S. Travel Association’s 49th IPW in Washington, D.C., where more than 6,400 international travel buyers, domestic and international media and U.S. suppliers joined for more than 112,000 total business appointments that drives more than $4.7 billion dollars in future travel to the United States from the more than 70 countries represented.

         IPW 2017 took place from June 3 – 7 in Washington, D.C., for the first time in event history with a theme “One Big Welcome,” helping to express that America is open for business to the world.

         After hosting IPW 2016 in New Orleans, the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau capitalized on that momentum at IPW 2017 in Washington, D.C., taking center stage during a news conference in front of the largest showing of international media in IPW history and hosting booths on the show floor. The hundreds of media attending the press conference enjoyed traditional New Orleans food, drinks and jazz music. The news conference provided a look back on new international direct flights, the airport expansion, new hotel developments, restaurants, attractions, city projects and more, that have debuted in New Orleans since IPW 2016, as well as a look ahead towards New Orleans’ Tricentennial in 2018. British Airways also confirmed that the direct flight linking London to New Orleans will fly five days per week year-round, replacing the four days per week trial period.

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         The Louisiana Office of Tourism also hosted a booth at IPW, showcasing the Houma Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Jeff Davis Parish Tourist Commission, the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau, Shop Louisiana and the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. Additionally, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jefferson Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lafayette Convention and Visitor Commission, Visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, Louisiana’s Northshore/St. Tammany Tourist Commission, Louisiana Tax-Free Shopping, New Orleans Plantation Country, West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission and Tabasco represented their areas and attractions to tour operators and journalists worldwide.

         “IPW is the Super Bowl of the travel industry and we welcomed the world to experience our city firsthand last year,” said New Orleans CVB President and CEO, Stephen Perry. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the momentum in Washington, D.C., and share all of the remarkable new developments we have had since they came last year – new direct international flights from London and Frankfurt, a new airport under construction, new hotel developments and so much more. We continue to receive great feedback, media coverage and bookings from all over the world. We will see business from IPW for years to come and the value of our team’s work to continue to build on these relationships shows in our growth of international visitors.”

         “On the heels of a very successful IPW in New Orleans, being in the limelight again as the recent past host city provided the state and city with additional momentum in overseas markets,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The most recent numbers show international visitation to our state has seen an increase of 37 percent. International visitation is a contributing factor in tourism for the state of Louisiana bringing a return on investment of $40 for every $1 spent.”

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         “The Louisiana Office of Tourism and New Orleans CVB hosted nearly 7,000 participants at this event in 2016,” said Assistant Secretary Kyle Edmiston. “To capitalize on that investment and momentum, more than 75 Louisiana partners joined efforts this year in Washington to promote our state to the world, working to increase international inbound visitation. These efforts will prove to be a tremendous success for the entire state as we work toward a sixth consecutive record-setting year for tourism in Louisiana.”

         “IPW gives us the opportunity to touch our clients around the world in a few days of structured appointments and events,” stated Kim Priez, senior vice president of Tourism Sales. “Our team conducted more than 200 business appointments this year working alongside our partners from the state office of tourism and our international representatives from Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, France, China and Brazil. We would not have the time or budget to travel around the world to have to have the face to face conversations with the clients that our international representatives have formed relationships with on our behalf throughout the year.”

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