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Cruise friendly New Orleans
Discount books offered exclusively to travel agents are among ways tourism officials are promoting its fast-growing cruise industry, says Kim Priez, vice president of tourism, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“We give travel agents a certain Web address where their customers can download the coupons,” she said.
Discounts are up to 25%, she added.
“Our research has found that agents book New Orleans at a higher percentage than many other areas,” she added.
The CVB also has introduced commissionable hotel packages that include accommodations, transportation to and from the cruise ship terminal, and free hotel parking for passengers booking a pre- or post-New Orleans stay.
Tourism officials are trying to sell the area as a place to visit before or after cruises.
“Visitors can take two vacations in one. Unlike some cities, our cruise terminal is just a short walk away from downtown and the French Quarter,” added Leslie Straughan, the CVB’s tourism sales manager.
The Port of New Orleans estimates the so-called “Big Easy” will have one million cruise passengers by 2006, up from 695,000 in 2003. It’s one of the fastest growing cruise ports in the US, according to the International Council of Cruise Lines.
Four international cruise ships are home-ported in New Orleans. There are also two inland cruise companies based there.
The Delta Queen Steamboat Company offers year-round paddlewheel cruises out of New Orleans, and Riverbarge Excursion’s River Explorer delivers river barge vacations along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Norwegian Cruise Line begins its round-trip service from New Orleans Oct. 24 through April 24, 2005, calling at Cozumel; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize and Cancun. Next fall, the company will replace the Norwegian Dream with a larger ship, the 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sun, for its New Orleans’ sailings.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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