New Orleans has received top honours at the 2013 World Travel Awards for excellence in sports tourism.
Nominees for the award included leading leisure travel and sports tourism destinations such as Chicago, Las Vegas, New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver.
New Orleans hosted an unprecedented series of sporting events in 2012 and 2013, including Super Bowl XLVII, one of the most watched television events in sports history.
Next year will see the return to New Orleans of NBA All-Star Weekend (February 14-16) along with WWE’s 30th edition of WrestleMania (April 6).
The city is also home to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, as well as annual sporting events such as the Bayou Classic, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic.
"Few places in North America can offer the combination of sporting venues, hotel rooms, and convention and meeting facilities that New Orleans can," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.
