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Axios
15-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Louisiana's tourism leaders concerned about anxious Canadian travelers
Canadians' desire to visit the U.S. is absolutely tanking, new data suggests, and that's bad news for Louisiana. Why it matters: President Trump's tariffs and insistence that Canada should become the 51st American state are fueling a remarkable rally-round-the-flag effect up north. Canadian patriotism is skyrocketing alongside disdain for all things American throughout the Great White North. The big picture: Canada is New Orleans' top market of origin for international visitors by a large margin, according to New Orleans & Co., the city's tourism arm. Walt Leger, the group's president and CEO, tells Axios he's hearing from visitors and travel partners about their "distaste" for the political climate. The city has had some cancellations, but he says those have been isolated so far. It's a "concern," he says, but it's not a trend showing up in the data yet. What he's saying: "We also recognize that sometimes it's hard to know if your phone is not ringing, and I think it's fair to say that based on the sentiment we're hearing, we think that there's probably some slowdown in lead volume and other things," Leger says. Between the lines: New Orleans & Co. hosted a group of Canadian journalists last week in an effort to showcase what the city has to offer. The trip was planned before the tariffs were announced, leaders say. Zoom out: Canada is also Louisiana's top international market, according to the state's tourism office. "I'm hoping these trade wars can be put to bed quickly because it will affect our numbers from Canada," Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said at a conference last month, according to The Acadiana Advocate. Case in point: Four busloads of Canadian tourists canceled their plans to attend this fall's Grand Réveil Acadien in Lafayette, writes The Acadiana Advocate's Claire Taylor. The Canadians cited political uncertainty as one of the reasons. Threat level: A mere 10% drop in Canadian visitors could cost U.S. businesses as much as $2.1 billion in revenue, according to the U.S. Travel Association. State of play: Advance bookings for Canada-U.S. flights in April-September are down more than 70% compared with this time last year, per aviation data firm OAG. "This sharp drop suggests that travelers are holding off on making reservations, likely due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the broader trade dispute," writes OAG chief analyst John Grant. Airlines are also reducing transborder capacity — a strong signal that they, too, are seeing (or at least predicting) less demand. Yes, but: At least one airline is calling OAG's data into question. The numbers are "not reflective of Air Canada's booking patterns, nor the state of the market, based on all information sources available to us," an Air Canada spokesperson told travel news site The Points Guy. Yet the spokesperson confirmed there's been a "softening" in demand, and the airline has trimmed capacity accordingly. What we're watching: Reluctance to visit the U.S. this summer may not be a strictly Canadian phenomenon. Go deeper
Axios
28-02-2025
- General
- Axios
How New Orleans is going greener at Mardi Gras this year
New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes are continuing to explore new ways to make the greatest free show on Earth a little kinder to the actual planet. Why it matters: The city is already on the frontlines of the impacts of human-caused climate change, which motivates revelers to make Mardi Gras less wasteful. The big picture: After the Department of Public Works started clearing clogged catch basins back in 2018, officials said their crews pulled 46 tons of Mardi Gras beads out of the city's drains along St. Charles Avenue. And that's just between Poydras Street and Harmony Circle. "Once you hear a number like that, there's no going back," then-interim Public Works director Dani Galloway said at the time. "So we've got to do better." Between the lines: Galloway was referring more broadly to the department keeping the drains clear, especially after a string of summer storms caused widespread street flooding. But the sentiment about the wastefulness of the city's Carnival season hit a nerve, too. In recent years, New Orleans officials and nonprofits have made concerted efforts to clean up our act. RecycleDat, a project between the city and New Orleans & Co., gathers cans, beads and glass along the parade route. Get info on donation sites and volunteering here. The Arc of Greater New Orleans continues to collect donated throws, which creates jobs for adults with disabilities, who repackage them for reuse. Details. And while the concept isn't yet in full production, LSU researchers have even created the first biodegradable beads, which grow into flowers when planted. Zoom in: Krewes are putting in the effort, too. The Krewe of Freret, which already paraded this season, became the first Mardi Gras organization to ban plastic beads on its floats. Members instead tossed glass beads, cups and other reusable items. Nearly a dozen krewes also buy throws from Grounds Krewe, which sells sustainable options. We hope to catch these before Mardi Gras is over: Rex will throw seed kits to grow herbs. Go deeper. Krampus is handing out a limited run of 50 glass doubloons. In addition to its signature sunglasses, Iris is tossing fanny packs, bubbles, colored pencils, beignet mix, earrings, sugar cubes and grits. Bacchus is tossing kitchen gear like spoons, oven mitts and seasonings.
Axios
30-01-2025
- Business
- Axios
How the Super Bowl may help New Orleans become more accessible
The Super Bowl has been tapped as an excuse to catch up on years' worth of overdue infrastructure improvements in downtown New Orleans, but it's also kickstarting new projects that can make living here day-to-day a bit easier, too. Why it matters: Some of those projects are making the city easier to navigate for people with disabilities. The big picture: New Orleans' hundreds-year-old infrastructure isn't without its well-documented challenges, and historic spaces are already often some of the most challenging to bring up to speed for today's accessibility standards. But it needs to happen, says New Orleans & Co. vice president of external affairs Kevin Ferguson. "We need to do our part for people who come here or live here so they can live their best lives when they are here," he says. Between the lines: Being a truly accessible city means thinking beyond wheelchair travel, Ferguson says. "People are dealing with a spectrum of accessibility their entire lives," he says. "Sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's permanent from birth, sometimes people age into it, or if you have a young child, all of a sudden your mobility is limited because you're pushing and carrying them." Behind the scenes: New Orleans & Co. is the city's marketing and tourism agency, so it doesn't have any power to, say, direct the Department of Public Works to tackle certain projects. But it does serve as a partner, and through that it's had some influence. Ferguson has been leading a team to create a minutely detailed map of French Quarter streets, including permanent and temporary structures ranging from pavement types to signage. The map has helped direct Public Works priorities as they've made French Quarter improvements, he says. It also includes new partnerships with organizations like Wheel the World and Roll Mobility to assess New Orleans businesses' accessibility and share that information with visitors and residents. What we're watching: One thing New Orleans needs to improve is the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles among the city's taxi fleet and rideshare vehicles, Ferguson says. "Ultimately, you want accessible transportation in the same way that someone who doesn't have a physical disability can have it on demand," he says. "Uber and Lyft have WAV programs in other cities, but not here. … We're looking at other groups to fill that gap." Go deeper: New Orleans only has 1 wheelchair-accessible taxi
