The More You Know
There is no precedent for the current state of the world and the impact of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. Many of us feel we are grasping at straws to know where to begin in the “new normal.” We’ve…
Author: Jennifer Gibson Schecter
New Orleans & Company’s Plan of Attack
Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com. While COVID-19 will…
Coronavirus Puts Thousands Out of Work
When the world is in crisis, it’s easy to give in to the feelings of anxiety and fear. Sometimes you need to, maybe for 30 minutes, before you pull yourself back out of that place and refocus on moving…
Coronavirus Making Immediate Impact on Tourism and Hospitality Workers
Cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, are now in every state in the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the number of cases will continue to increase. On Monday, March 16, Louisiana Gov. John Bel…
Coronavirus Disrupts Tourism
On Monday, the city of New Orleans declared its first presumed case of coronavirus, or COVID-19. There are now at least three such cases in the city being treated at three different hospitals. On Tuesday night, the state of…
Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands
Communicable diseases bring a certain dread to those who work in the tourism and hospitality industry. Since news of Coronavirus, or Covid-19, first made headlines, those who are responsible for the health and safety of travelers and conveners have been…
Festival Season is Upon Us
Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com. French Quarter Festivals…
Break a Leg
When people travel, they are wise to look for cultural gems off the beaten path. That is especially true for New Orleans and the larger metro region. Ask most locals what they do on a Friday night, and few would…
A Mardi Gras Survival Guide For Hosting Tourists
Who else is spending 80 percent of their day with Al “Carnival Time” Johnson in their heads? It can’t be just me who constantly hears the staccato eighth notes of the horns and piano in the song’s opening? Washing…
Fly the Freundlicher Skies
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) has welcomed German airline Condor Airlines for seasonal summer flights to Frankfurt, Germany since 2017. The direct flights have been popular and were a boon to New Orleans positioning itself as an international…
Keeping the Beat
The lineup for the 37th Annual French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron has been announced and will draw hundreds of thousands of people to the French Quarter April 16-19. The event is the largest free festival that celebrates Louisiana music…
‘There’s an App for That’
Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com. One of the…
She Works Hard for the Money
It’s a new year, and surely after four weeks of resolutions you are a new you, right? As for me, I have meditated six times and done yoga once, so I’m saying I’m absolutely a new person. But maybe your…
Can a Stork Carry a Lion Cub?
With all the talk of tigers this month for the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship game (Geaux LSU!), we almost forgot about the very important feline residents of New Orleans. Not to be outdone by striped mascots, the Audubon…
Shop (and Eat) ‘Till You Drop
Six years ago, Outlet Collection at Riverwalk became a downtown destination for first-to-market outlet shopping, as well as a popular lunch spot for locals working nearby. Since then, it has welcomed more than 18 million shoppers and touts more than $500…
Music Makes the World Go Round
The first time I saw Glen David Andrews perform was at d.b.a. on a hot August night. He and his band moved between trad jazz and raucous wailing with the ease of butter melting on grilled sirloin. I was…
Business People of the Year
It’s a challenge to look back at an entire year of business in Southeast Louisiana and come up with a small group of standouts given the fact that, once again, this has been a year where almost all industries have…
In the Biz: Unconventional Resolutions
There is something inherently human about measuring and marking time. For eons, our ancestors needed to anticipate the cycles of nature for hunting animals and gathering vegetation, and after agrarian culture began, they marked seasons for managing crops. In modern…
A New Chapter in Childhood
When you write about tourism in New Orleans, a wonderful perk of the job is you often get to bring your family with you as you explore the city. Such was the case when my family and I made…
Dixieland Santa Clause Leading the Band
No scrooge can stop us. We are comfortably in the holiday zone, when we can drink Cajun eggnog daiquiris and sing along when WWOZ plays Louis Armstrong’s “Christmastime in New Orleans.” Maybe we even have…
Date at the Gate
Would you go on a date at an airport? Or spend some alone time shopping and dining there? Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) believes there is a demand for such visits, and today it launches its new…
A Star in the East
Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com. As someone who…
Take It Nice and Easy
It is the day before Thanksgiving, and how many of us are feeling completely calm and relaxed right now? In reality, many of us are reading this on our phones waiting to board a plan, in the guest room…
Tourism Talks Tech
Every industry struggles with how best to use technology. Tech is constantly changing, consumers’ comfort levels are frequently adjusting and demands for convenience are increasing. That being said, the tourism and hospitality industry is, at its heart, an industry about…
No Hair of the Dog Here
New Orleans has a complicated relationship with alcohol. We celebrate historic cocktails like the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz. We tout our open container laws and create personalized go-cups for birthdays and weddings. That sense of freedom to imbibe is…
Boudin, Bourbon and Beer Draws Tourists and Revelers to Champions Square
Something we do particularly well in New Orleans is party with a purpose. Our festivals draw visitors from across the country to join us in celebrating our culture and raising money for worthy charitable projects. One example of such is…
Right Place, Right Time
Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com. Between the 54 monthly magazine columns (so far) and 220 weekly…
MSY User Guide
The time has finally come. After nearly four years of construction, the new $1 billion terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is opening Wednesday, Nov. 6. All commercial flights will use the new terminal at 1 Terminal…
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
A month ago, while working on my column for the November issue of Biz New Orleans, I wrote, “We just can’t seem to stop building hotels.” A week ago, as news of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse began to spread,…
Halloween Fun, New Orleans-style
When a city has over 300 years of history, it earns a patina of spookiness even in the brightest sunlight. As I finished that sentence and paused to consider the next, a dish in my sink just shifted against…
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Tourism with Jennifer Schecter
about
Once a tourist in New Orleans herself, Jennifer Gibson Schecter is proud to call NOLA home. Prior to New Orleans, she wrote for publications in the Midwest and New York City. She advises travelers to ask their cab/pedicab/gondola driver where their favorite restaurant is and to eat there.
