Easter is in the rear view mirror. All eyes in New Orleans are focused on the start of Festival Season.
Conventions and festivals abound in New Orleans as Festival Season gets underway.
Kelly Schulz with New Orleans and Company is enthusiastic about Festival Season, which gets underway this week with The French Quarter Festival, which starts Thursday.
"We have of course Jazz Fest (coming), so many things in between. So we're seeing a lot of interest in New Orleans right now," Schulz explains. "People are filling our hotels and restaurants, going to our museums, and shops. So when you talk to somebody in the Hospitality Community most of them are saying really good things right now."
Two big conventions hit town on Monday ahead of Thursday's French Quarter Festival opening. Does New Orleans have enough rooms?
"We have 26,000 hotels rooms within a two radius of the convention center. That's one of the things that make New Orleans really appealing, as a convention destination, is that proximity, the walkability, the diversity of our hotel brands," Schulz says. "Our hospitality community is really good about working together and making sure there is space for these big groups."
Eight thousand people will check in today as the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority hosts their South Central Regional Conference and a Nursing and Elder Care Conference takes up residence at the Marriott.
Thousands of people are showing up for two big conventions starting today and French Quarter Fest on Thursday.
New Orleans and Company's Kelly Schulz explains why our town is the best town for both!
"There is always something going on in New Orleans," Schulz says matter-of-factly. "In addition to the festivals, large conventions are back as well. Those meeting and convention attendees combined with those who are coming here to enjoy our festivals is a very, very good thing for all of us people who make their living in the cultural economy."
So, as New Orleans goes full tilt into Festival and Convention Season, the work invested in hosting multiple events and welcoming thousands is paying off.
AFAR Travel Magazine has named New Orleans one of the ten best places to visit in the world.
"The fact that New Orleans is being ranked as a top place to visit in the world, those kinds of things are very positive for the brand. And they bring a lot of awareness and we believe people will actually want to plan trips here," Schultz emphasizes. "The AFAR award… We're winning a lot of those awards, which again, not just happen, it takes hard work, but we're making sure that we're staying in the news as much as possible in a positive way."
In addition to the French Quarter Fest this weekend and Jazz Fest starting April 28th...
Other festivals in the region this month include the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival April 14th to the 16th, The Baton Rouge Blues Festival April 22nd and 23rd, Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette April 26th to the 30th, and The Italian Festival in Tickfaw April 28th through the 30th.
