Vaccinations are plentiful and mask mandates are falling by the wayside for the people who get the shots. The local tourism industry is optimistic for the beginnings of a comeback.
"We've seen more and more leisure visitors, with their vaccinations, start to come back to New Orleans," said Kelly Shulz, senior vice president of communications with New Orleans & Company.
Shulz says that is good news, and they hope to see increasing numbers. After last year, almost anything would be an improvement -- but this fall represents a huge opportunity.
"We think October is going to be our best month since the beginning of the pandemic," said Shulz. "We've got several conventions that are returning, we've got our festivals like French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest that are rescheduled from the spring."
The Saints will also play at home on Halloween.
"These are all positive things for tourism and are going to get more and more people to decide to book that trip," said Shulz.
