Record year: Tourists spent a record $5.3 billion in New Orleans during 2010, according to the New Orleans Area Visitor Profile. More than 8.3 million people visited the Crescent City in 2010, the first year the 8 million mark was passed since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. The report, conducted by the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center, says that 76.1% of visitors had household incomes of more than $50,000, while 35.2% had annual earnings of more than $100,000.
Teaming up for state’s share: Louisiana’s two U.S. senators have filed a bill to get 80% of the penalties BP faces paying for last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to go toward assisting the Gulf Coast. Similar legislative efforts have been unsuccessful so far. Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter say it would be fair for the Gulf Coast to get the money from Clean Water Act fines. The bill calls for 35% of the funds to be shared by five Gulf Coast states; it says the states could use the money to help businesses and the ecosystem. Then, 60% would to go to ecosystem restoration and 5% to a science program. The senators say BP faces fines between $5.4 billion and $21.1 billion.
