Tourism officials in New Orleans are hoping Monday’s reopening of the Superdome will give the area the tourism boost it needs to return to the days before Hurricane Katrina devastated its top industry.
The National Football League’s New Orleans Saints returned to the dome, which was a national symbol of the misery after one of the nation’s worst natural disasters. The Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3.
“We’re seeing demand for rooms is up,” Bill Langkopp, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Hotel and Lodging Association, told the AP.
He said the city’s occupancy rate in its 28,000 rooms fell to about 55% last summer.
Some recent good news for the area was the return of the cruise industry which is set for October.
Report by David Wilkening
