Tourism and Events
The American Library Association held its annual convention in New Orleans in June 2006; the estimated 18,000 attendees represented the first city-wide convention in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. The National Association of Realtors also held their annual convention in New Orleans bringing 30,000 attendees to the city in November, 2006. The HIMSS healthcare information technology convention and the American College of Cardiology convention, both held in the spring of 2007, each had more than 24,000 attendees. The Essence Music Festival returned to the Crescent City in July 2007 after being displaced to Houston in 2006. Several national travel guides have once again listed New Orleans as one of the top five places to visit in the country.
The Bayou Classic, the traditional football game between Southern University and Grambling State University, returned in November 2006 after being displaced to Houston, Texas for its 2005 game. The National Football League made a commitment to the city with the return of the New Orleans Saints, following speculation of a move to San Antonio, Texas, or Los Angeles, California. The National Basketball Association has made a commitment with the return of the New Orleans Hornets, which played in both New Orleans and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in the 2006-2007 season, returning fully for the 2007-2008 season. (Oklahoma City became a permanent member of the NBA in the 2008-2009 season.) New Orleans was granted the 2008 NBA All Star Game, which usually generates millions of dollars in revenue for the host city. Tulane University hosted the first and second rounds of the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The Superdome has since hosted several college football bowl games. The New Orleans Bowl resumed in December 2006, and the Sugar Bowl and 2008 BCS National Championship Game took in January 2008. New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl in 2013 for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. On February 2010, the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. There is heavy speculation that New Orleans plans to bid for an Olympic but they would bid for 2020 Games at the earliest.
In mid-March 2007 a local group of investors began conducting a study to see if the city could support a Major League Soccer team.
Major seasonal events such as Mardi Gras and the Jazz and Heritage Festival were never displaced, occurring at other times of year.
Read more about this topic: Reconstruction Of New Orleans
Famous quotes containing the words tourism and/or events:
“In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion.”
—Robert Runcie (b. 1921)
“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)