Crowds for New Orleans last week are likely to be near historic in size.
Kelly Schulz of New Orleans and Company says a survey of its members indicate that their bookings are in the ballpark of 95 percent for this coming Saturday, the last weekend of Mardi Gras.
She says that is, "Stronger than it was for Mardi Gras 2023. In talking with our hotels, our restaurants, they've seen very strong business so far and we're hoping that will continue the final week of Mardi Gras."
Schulz says Mardi Gras is not an event that doesn't take a lot of work to get the word out about it.
She says, "We've been working for a while to make sure people are aware of Mardi Gras and there are a lot of places people can go to spend their hard-earned dollars for fun or for vacation. We want them to know that there's no where like New Orleans especially during Mardi Gras."
A recent study shows new data, that shows Mardi Gras' economic impact on the New Orleans' area is estimated at nearly $900 million which is more than a 300 percent increase since the last study was conducted in 2009.
Schulz say, "We also know that for every dollar the city invest into Mardi Gras it earns $2.64 back and that Mardi Gras 2023 alone helped increase state tax revenues by more than $14 million."