FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:

In New Orleans
Mary Beth Romig
NOMCVB
504-606-8430 (cell)
mbromig@neworleanscvb.com

Kelly Schulz
NOMCVB
504-421-0962 (cell)
kschulz@neworleanscvb.com

In Chicago
Michael Schiferl
Weber Shandwick
312-988-2017
mschiferl@webershandwick.com

The Streetcar Named Desire Rolls into the “Windy City”
New Orleans CVB representatives travel to Chicago to continue the “Forever New Orleans” roadshow, following a European media tour of three countries in five days last month

NEW ORLEANS- May 15, 2007- The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (NOMCVB) multi-city PR tour, “Forever New Orleans,” arrives in Chicago this Thursday, May 17, to remind consumers and business travelers that the best way to help New Orleans is to visit the city, as tourism is its number one industry.

A restored, vintage 1922 streetcar (yes, it’s really named Desire), will be on display in Chicago on the corner of N. Michigan Avenue and Illinois Street (at the Intercontinental Chicago Hotel) from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. For b-roll, please contact Michael Schiferl at 312-988-2017 or mschiferl@webershandwick.com. The streetcar will give Chicagoians a chance to tour this historic piece of Americana, get their photo taken in the conductor’s seat, and learn more about our country’s most authentic city. A trip to New Orleans will be given away, courtesy of the Intercontinental Hotel New Orleans and JetBlue.

In January, the NOMCVB launched “Forever New Orleans,” a strategic marketing and public relations campaign to celebrate New Orleans’ authentic culture, lure domestic and international visitors back, preserve the city’s leading industry (hospitality) and overcome misperceptions about the city among consumers.

One important component of “Forever New Orleans” is a public relations roadshow that seeks to garner positive mainstream media coverage and dispel myths about the New Orleans visitor experience. The roadshow began in New York City, where the NOMCVB brought a restored streetcar to Times Square, April 10-11. In two “Good Morning America” segments, key messages of “Forever New Orleans” and “the time to visit is now” were conveyed. The streetcar was seen by hundreds of thousands of people in Times Square and drew over 1,000 consumers inside for photos, visitor information and a trip giveaway, courtesy of Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel & Casino and JetBlue.

While in New York, Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the NOMCVB, also conducted one-on-one editorial interviews with the following media outlets: The Wall Street Journal; Food & Wine; Travel + Leisure; Frommer’s Budget Travel; Girlfriend Getaways; Meeting News; Successful Meetings; WABC Radio Travel Show; and The Out Traveler; reaching a total circulation of 6,294,764.


After New York’s successful results, the roadshow continued to Europe. NOMCVB representative began in London for editorial meetings, reaching a circulation of 14,826,391 people with The Daily Independent, LBC Radio, Travel Trade Gazette, The Daily Mail, TravelMole.com, The Sun and Wallpaper.

The next stop on the international leg of the roadshow was Frankfurt, Germany, where CVB representatives attended IMEX (Incentive Meetings & Events Expo). There, they conducted positive meetings with several German media outlets and two of the most prominent meetings trade magazines in Europe: Meetings International (Sweden) and CIM (Germany). IMEX was also an opportunity to reach thousands of international buyers of meeting services and incentive travel.

The international travel ended in Paris, where interviews reached a circulation of 342,130 readers. Those publications included French newswire, AFP, Le Quotidien du Tourisme, Le Monde and L’Echo Touristique.

The NOMCVB has made additional efforts to reach international audiences. NOMCVB representatives attended International Pow Wow in Anaheim, Calif., the travel industry’s premier international marketplace, April 21-25 and met with more than 65 journalists from Europe, India, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia. The NOMCVB conducted 135 appointments with international travel professionals, the highest total since August 2005.

To showcase New Orleans as a viable leisure destination, the NOMCVB also arranged press trips during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for reporters covering a variety of global mainstream media outlets, including: Le Point, L’Express, Le Figaro, Paris Match (France), Le Devoir (Montreal), and Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazil).

“The New Orleans visitor experience is intact and thriving,” said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the NOMCVB. “It is so important that we continue to spread this message not only within the United States, but overseas as well.”

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The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.neworleanscvb.com) is the driving force behind New Orleans' most important industry, tourism, which generates $5 billion in visitor spending and creates 85,000 jobs. Today the cultural riches, sensual indulgences and unparalleled service that define the New Orleans experience continue to flourish, as they have for centuries. The most celebrated and historic core of the city - including the French Quarter, Central Business District, Warehouse and Arts District, Magazine Street and Garden District - not only remains intact, both physically and spiritually, but is thriving. The New Orleans CVB is proudly welcoming visitors and business travelers every day.