New Orleans showed that it is well on its way to full recovery, successfully hosting the high-profile 57th annual NBA All Stars on February 19 in the renovated Super Dome. The All Star Hoops jamboree wasn’t the only major sporting event to take place that week, however, as four days before the NBA game, the city provided the venue for the Sugar Bowl college football championship game.
These two national events were the first two major sporting events to be hosted since Katrina wreaked havoc in the city in August 2005. Both events combined were responsible for drawing nearly 150,000 out-of-town fans, providing a much-needed financial injection. for local business.
In fact, the impact on the economy as a result of these two events was estimated to be around $400 million, much-needed revenue for the city still struggling to rebuild. Only about 65% of the pre-Katrina population has returned to the city, and rebuilding is still going on in areas almost completely destroyed by levee-ruptured flooding. Events like this not only help the economy, but also help raise the profile of the city and help put it back on the tourist map.
Along with sports fans, approximately 40,000 additional visitors were in New Orleans for the weekend in mid-February, all looking for fun, entertainment and places to explore. On Friday, February 15, Louis Armstrong International Airport processed 19,000 passengers in one day, its busiest day since 2005. New Orleans hotel owners estimated they had high occupancy in the 1990s, putting a broad smile on Steve’s face. Perry, executive director of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Over the weekend, the French Quarter, largely unaffected by Katrina, came alive with fans filling the streetcars, restaurants, and bars; a reminder of the pre-Katrina days when Super Bowls and other national sporting events were commonplace. In fact, the city hosted nine Super Bowls between 1970 and 2002 and four men’s basketball Final Fours between 1982 and 2003. It also hosted the women’s Final Four in 2004.
After the massive rebuilding program, New Orleans has become a brighter, rebuilt modern city with more to offer than in the pre-Katrina era, while managing to retain the original charm and features of the French Quarter. The sports facilities have been revamped and updated to put it back on the map, and the success of the two events in mid-February means more national events are likely.
Often referred to as ‘America’s Most Unique City’, New Orleans has also successfully hosted Mardi Gras festivals, albeit on a reduced scale, but now that it has successfully coped with hosting two major national sporting events in a week away, it’s looks set to quickly return to its pre-Katrina status from one of America’s most-visited cities.
