With 47.1 million people visiting the state last year—an increase of 500,000 visitors over 2016—Louisiana set a new record for tourism for the sixth straight year, says Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser.
Tourists spent $17.5 billion last year, generating $1.8 billion in state and local sales taxes. The revenue numbers represent a 37-to-1 return on investment of state dollars. 2017 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows more than 200,000 Louisiana jobs rely on tourism, which has been the second fastest-growing job sector in the last decade.
A portion of the 2017 tourism growth came from new direct, international flights into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport from London and Frankfurt, Germany. More than 14.3 million airplane passengers traveled into and out of the state last year, a 6.7% increase over 2016.
