New Orleans tourism industry worries about pandemic impact

Published on : Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Jazz Fest usually attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to New Orleans. They drop in for the unique food, music and culture every year, playing a major part in a tourism and hospitality industry that drives the New Orleans economy.

However, the tourism industry of New Orleans has been battered by the pandemic, which has forced many bars, restaurants and music venues to shut down or restrict their operations. At one point, unemployment in the city was as high as 20%, and it hasn’t recovered yet, with 12% at a jobless rate now.

It seemed that decent times would start again last spring, with commencement of vaccinations and return of visitors. Occupancy rates went above 50% this summer in downtown hotels, which is not bad compared to the single digits of the summer before, said Kelly Schultz, a spokeswoman for New Orleans & Company, which promotes the city as a tourist destination. However,Schultzsaid that it hasn’t been a full recovery yet, with international tourists, cruise ship passengers and business travelers not yet coming back.

The tourism organization postponed some of its advertising through September as polling showed that travelers are concerned about the surgein the delta variant. Louisiana has been a hot spot for this fourth wave, with record number of hospitalizations and medical staff voicing concerns about hospitals teeming with patients.

Losing Jazz Fest again should be a “giant wake-up call” to get more people vaccinated. Schultz said, “All of this is completely preventable with the vaccine.”

Earlier this month, New Orleans required everyone entering bars, restaurants, music clubs and even the Superdome to provide a proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test. Both the city and the state also require wearing masks in stores and other indoor venues, but there weren’t capacity limits for live music, restaurants and bars that were implemented with the beginning of the pandemic.