BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has been hit recently by several floods, which has prompted the Louisiana Office of Tourism to keep a close eye on any lasting impact on international tourism.
According to an official release, flood-affected areas fell within the corridors of major rivers, tributaries and waterways in the regions around Baton Rouge and Lafayette southward. The city of New Orleans, the Louisiana gulf coast, the central and northern regions of Louisiana as well as most of the geographic area of Louisiana were not affected by floodwaters.
Just as the floodwaters came quickly, the waters are receding quickly, and the small percentage of tourism attractions, overnight accommodations and restaurants impacted statewide have resumed or are quickly returning to normal operations. Subsequently, major transportation arteries that were temporarily impacted by flooding have been reopened.
“The New Orleans CVB and the entire New Orleans hospitality industry is working tirelessly to assess the needs of those negatively impacted and support them through an aggressive materials drive and delivery program. We are committed to help those damaged areas rebuild, just as we received help to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. The time has come once again to lean in to do whatever can be done to help those in need,” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Some state traveller welcome centers, state parks and state museums in the flood-affected areas saw woes ranging from temporarily restricted accessibility to limited damage to structures and amenities directly in the floodwaters’ paths. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor will provide an update on those facilities once the immediate needs of flood-affected Louisiana citizens have been addressed, once floodwaters have completely receded and once assessments can be made to properties on a site-by-site basis.
“The Louisiana Office of Tourism continues to assist our citizens that have been affected by these horrendous natural disasters across south central Louisiana,” said Assistant Secretary Kyle Edmiston. “However, if you have business or leisure travel planned to the unaffected areas of the state, Louisiana still offers a plethora of authentic experiences to the traveling public.”
For more information go to LouisianaTravel.com.
