Local economic leaders aren’t just flying to Panama these days—a host of state and local tourism officials flew to China earlier this month in an effort to attract that country’s growing travel population to Louisiana.
Leaders from the state Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, as part of a Travel South USA International Sales Mission, made the trek to Shanghai and Beijing from Sept. 10-16 to market New Orleans and Louisiana as a travel destination for Chinese visitors, according to a news release.
Prior to the sales mission, Office of Tourism Assistant Secretary Kyle Edmiston participated in the China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit in Yinchuan, China, on Sept. 5 to promote Louisiana’s culture cuisine, and outdoor experiences.
“Our mission to China was to make sure they know about all the great food, music, culture and history Louisiana has to offer,” Edmiston says in a statement. “We want to make sure we are doing our part to inspire the increasing number of Chinese travelers to make Louisiana their destination of choice.”
Some 2.5 million Chinese travelers visited the United States in 2015, making China the fourth-largest country for long-bound international travel to the U.S., the state Office of Tourism says. That number is expected to increase to 3 million in 2016 and double to 6 million by 2021.
“International travel has increased 36 percent to the state and 37 percent to New Orleans over the last year. That’s huge for our state because international visitors stay longer, see more, and as a result spend more money,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says in a statement. “We need to continue putting our best foot forward and making sure people around the world know Louisiana is ready to help them pass a good time.”
Among the Louisiana officials who made the trip:
- Edmiston, Mike Prejean and Doug Bourgeois, all of the Louisiana Office of Tourism
- Kim Priez, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Kevin Kelly, Houmas House Plantation
- Harolyn Falgoust, Monroe/West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau
