The Big Easy is enticing at any time of year, but summer is when New Orleans sizzles – and not just from the heat. This year, from June through August, over 20 hotels throughout New Orleans are offering travel advisor rates, which agents can supplement with a VIP pass to make the most of their visit to the Louisiana city.

Starting at US$69 (plus taxes) per night through New Orleans & Company’s Summer Travel Advisor FAM, many hotel packages include discounted parking, free Wi-Fi, and discounts at hotel bars, available exclusively for qualified travel advisors (some blackout dates apply).

“Summer is a wonderful time to experience New Orleans and our city’s authentic cuisine, attractions and live music,” says Kim Priez, Sr. VP of tourism at New Orleans & Company, who says agents will “experience the classic, historic New Orleans, while also getting a taste of the spectacular new attractions, hotels and trendy spots the city offers.”

“When our visitors come, they leave with a feeling of enrichment, and contentment, and with a feeling of they got to be just a little bit of who they are by being a part of our community,” added New Orleans & Company president and CEO Walt Leger III at the recent IPW in San Antonio.

“Our city has been celebrated for generations for it’s creativity,” he continued. “Whether for our food, or music, or art, or whether its just the feeling that comes from the people of the city that have been inspired by the many different cultures that came together to make New Orleans the place that it is.”

Visiting New Orleans in the summer also means seasonal menus at restaurants, especially in June during Restaurant Week and the entire month of August, where many world-renowned New Orleans restaurants take part in COOLinary, which is an annual tradition featuring specially priced prix-fixe lunch, dinner, and brunch menus.

While taking advantage of hotel rates from fabulous New Orleans hotels during the Summer FAM, travel advisors can also request a VIP Pass to stay. The pass provides travel professionals exclusive access to discounts and special offers at restaurants, museums, and other popular attractions around New Orleans.

For information, travel professionals can contact Rachel Funel, Tourism Sales Senior Account Executive, at rfunel@neworleans.com or (504) 566-5018.  For additional resources and information, visit www.neworleans.com/travel-professionals. To register for the FAM rates, click HERE.

WHAT’S ON

Festival season rolls on

• Essence Festival of Culture returns to Downtown New Orleans June 29-July 3. The concert series held at the Caesars Superdome is headlined by Missy Elliott, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion.
• During Restaurant Week from June 19-25, visitors will be able to find multi-course curated menus from some of the best restaurants in New Orleans. A list of participating restaurants is available on neworleans.com.
• Tales of the Cocktail will take place at a variety of New Orleans hotels, restaurants, and bars July 23-28.
• 2023 Festival Calendar Highlights are available on the web site.

Audubon Aquarium re-opening

The Audubon Nature Institute announced it will complete its renovation of the Audubon Aquarium of Americas and Insectarium and reopen on June 8. This project is the biggest renovation of the Aquarium since it opened on Canal Street in 1990.

In 2020, Audubon announced it would be moving Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium from the US Custom House on Canal Street to the Aquarium campus on the river, building a combined experience that re-envisions Audubon’s downtown guest experience and educational programming. The new renovation will include approximately new exhibit space constructed inside the existing walls of the Aquarium as well as part of the existing Aquarium breezeway space that will be enclosed to create a shared public lobby.

Hotels

• In 2024, Nobu Hotel New Orleans and restaurant are set to open within the newly created Caesars New Orleans, following a multimillion-dollar transformation of Harrah’s New Orleans.
• Kimpton Hotel Fontenot’s new French brasserie, King, is now open. The restaurant is part of the hotel’s expansion into the historic building next door offering seating for 125 people.
• New Orleans & Company announced a new program that allows visitors to ride the historic streetcar when they book a hotel stay on neworleans.com now through Labour Day.

Attractions

• In line with Disney’s 100th Anniversary, The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will open a special exhibit, “The Walt Disney Studios and World War II,” which explores how one of the entertainment company helped achieve Allied victory. Disney and history lovers alike may visit the exhibit through Sept. 24. Featuring a collection of over 500 rare historical objects and film clips, this travelling exhibit will showcase collections such as “Films and Print for Training, Propaganda, and Entertainment” and “Insignia and Morale.”

To learn more about what is happening in New Orleans’ tourism industry, visit neworleans.com.