Between the Saints, Pelicans, concerts, and private events, business has been booming lately at Caesars Superdome, Champions Square, and Smoothie King Center. And the resurgent New Orleans tourism industry, and higher hotel rates, have combined for improved hotel tax collections.
"We're continuing to experience receipts that are higher than what were originally anticipated," said Evan Holmes of ASM Global, the company that manages the dome and arena for the state.
He says while that is welcome news, they still aren't where they would be had the COVID-19 pandemic not happened.
"Even though we may say we're back to pre-pandemic levels, we're not to the same level that we would have been if the pandemic hadn't occurred," Holmes explains. "Compare what that would potentially have been versus where we are today, we're still about $8 million short than what we would have expected then."
And they aren't immune from inflation, either. The cost of utilities for the massive venues skyrocketed over the summer.
