Louisiana Tourism Facts

↑ Louisiana attracted 24.7 million visitors in 2011.

↑ Louisiana generated $9.4 billion in spending by domestic and international visitors in 2011.

↑ More than 5.1 million passengers enplaned at Louisiana airports in 2011.

↑ More than 18 million hotel room nights sold in Louisiana in 2011.

↑ Louisiana Welcome Centers greeted more than 1.2 million visitors in 2011. These visitors could fill the Superdome 17 times.

↑ More than 176,000 Louisiana workers were directly and indirectly employed in Travel and Tourism in 2010.

↑ The travel and tourism industry is the 7th largest employer in the state.

↑ 1 out of 11 people in Louisiana is directly or indirectly employed by travel and tourism.

↑ Tax dollars generated from travel and tourism help pay for 3,765 Louisiana public school teachers.

↑ Top leisure travel activities for Louisiana domestic travelers:

Visiting friends/relatives
Shopping
Casino/gaming
Fine dining

↑ A leisure overnight visitor in Louisiana spends an average of $624 per trip.

↑ Each Louisiana household would have to pay $510 more in states taxes without the revenue generated by travel and tourism.

↑ Increased visitor spending supports all businesses in a local economy, not just tourism establishments.

↑ The economic diversity tourism brings serves as insurance in difficult economic times, particularly in communities that rely heavily on one or few industries.

↑ Tourism creates jobs that are rarely outsourced or relocated to other states.

↑ Tourism fosters the preservation of local culture and tradition, reaffirming a sense of community identity and pride.

↑ Unlike most other governmental programs, tourism promotion is clearly a net revenue generator, not a cost to the Louisiana taxpayer.

↑ Sustained tourism marketing efforts have led to Louisiana’s ability to host large world -class events based on its destination status.

↑ Tourism also contributes to the overall image of a community, shaping the perception of a destination in the minds of visitors, future residents and potential business owners seeking relocation sites.

Additional advantages include: