Lt. Governor visits Abbeville to talk tourism

This past year, 2013, was another record-breaking year for the tourism industry in Louisiana, especially in Vermilion Parish.
Lt Gov. Jay Dardenne was in Abbeville on Friday to thank Vermilion Parish for promoting tourism as much as it does. A special press conference was held at the Tourism Office in Abbeville.
“This area is such a vital part of how we promote Louisiana,” Dardenne said. “Vermilion Parish is a picture of authenticity. “
Dardenne thanked those who helped promote tourism in Vermilion Parish.
He singled out Kathy and Johnny Richard, owners of Richard’s Sale Barn, located south of
Abbeville. He pointed out their barn, which is an old sale barn turned into a music hall, helps keep Cajun Culture alive with the playing of Cajun music in a Cajun atmosphere.
“People want to see authenticity and ya’ll have preserved it at the Sale Barn,” Dardenne said.
He said Louisiana has more than 400 festivals, which is a big part of Louisiana.
“When people come to Louisiana, they never say, “I never want to go back there again.’ Many said they can’t wait to return to Louisiana.”
Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, who oversees the Louisiana Office of Tourism, announced that in 2013 Louisiana attracted 27.3 million visitors, a 4 percent increase over 2012, resulting in $10.8 billion in total visitor spending. The $807 million in state tax revenue generated through domestic and international visitors represents a more than 34-to-1 return on investment of state funding.
“Tourism had a great year thanks to creative marketing, dedicated industry leaders throughout the state and an incredible product—the many passions Louisiana offers,” Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne said. “More than 210,000 Louisianians are employed thanks to the travel and tourism industry, making it the fifth largest employment sector in the state. And I’m especially proud of the geographical diversity of our visitation. We welcomed one million more tourists in 2013 than the previous year and 700,000 of them visited markets outside New Orleans.”
After taking office in November 2010, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne created the brand Louisiana: Pick Your Passion to promote the eclectic choices available to visitors to Louisiana. Since then the industry has grown each year. In 2012, Louisiana set all-time records for visitation, numbers that were surpassed in 2013. The industry took notice and the Louisiana Office of Tourism racked up accolades, including the Southeast Tourism Society’s 2013 State Tourism Office of the Year, a No. 8 ranking for LouisianaTravel.com social media and being only the second state tourism office to receive international accreditation from Destination Marketing Association International.
People are making more travel decisions online than ever before. In 2013, LouisianaTravel.com had more than 1.8 million unique visitors, representing a 32 percent annual increase, and 4.1 million page views, representing an 18 percent annual increase. Additional 2013 tourism statistics:
• Louisiana’s average daily rate jumped from to $107.04 from $102.36 in 2012, a 4.5 percent increase. ADR represents the average rate paid for rooms sold.
• Hoteliers sold 20 million stays in 2013.
• More than 11.6 million passengers arrived at or departed from Louisiana airports.
Visit www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/research/ for additional details from the UNO Louisiana forecast report.
— www.LouisianaTravel.com—