We have another big New Orleans event starting this week: Essence Fest. And New Orleans' midsummer tourist season is just getting started.
Essence is the headline event during summertime in New Orleans.
"We want to see a city that is as filled as possible," said Mark Romig with New Orleans & Company. "Again, a lot of these decisions are made at the last minute that they're going to drive into the city and enjoy the concerts."
Romig told WWL's Newell Normand that Essence gets a lot of attention, but other parts of the city are also getting lots of visitors. He says Audubon's renovated aquarium and insectarium, which reopened earlier this month, has been a huge hit.
"Just fantastic retrofit of that facility. It's not what you're used to seeing. We went through it and it's just amazing," he said.
Romig said Audubon is bringing repeat business to the New Orleans tourism scene, because people want to see it again and again.
"They went through it but they need to come back because there's so much to experience and see that they're going to now choose to stay and look at exhibits longer," he said of one group of visitors. "But they went through it and they said they're going to be coming back."
Next month brings the 4th of July fireworks over the river, the New Orleans Running of the Bulls featuring the Big Easy Roller Girls, and Tales of the Cocktail.
