NEW ORLEANS Travel to New Orleans plummeted about 70% in the year following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but since 2006 the city continues to see steady gains as tourists slowly find their way back to Bourbon Street.
Data on hotel bookings to New Orleans made on Expedia-branded sites worldwide shows the dramatic decline in hotel bookings by nearly 70% year-over-year for the three-months before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 compared to the same three-month period one year later.
Since then, however, hotel bookings through the online travel agent have gone up markedly every year. Bookings rebounded dramatically in 2007, coming back 75%. The improvement continued in 2008, which was up 16%, followed by 19% gains in 2009 and another 12% improvement this summer.
The data is consistent with a report by the University of New Orleans that finds that the city’s tourism industry was the hardest hit during the first two years after Katrina.
“No other city in the nation can match the level of spirit and energy of New Orleans,” says Seth Bertenthal, who was recently appointed Expedia market manager for New Orleans. “In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, hotels opened their doors to displaced residents and those searching for missing family members. The dedication local hotels showed to those in need is a testament to the level of strength and stability they bring to the city of New Orleans, and is a perfect example of the positive impact they have had on the city’s ability to recover.”