Impact of Hurricane Katrina
Given Bourbon Street's high ground location in the French Quarter, it was mostly intact following 2005's Hurricane Katrina. A major tourist attraction, Bourbon Street renovation was given high priority after the storm. Despite these efforts, New Orleans was still experiencing a dearth of visitors. In 2004, a year before Katrina, the city had 10.1 million visitors. A year after the storm, that number was 3.7 million.
Attempts to draw tourists back to the city were undertaken by the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation that featured Louisiana celebrities such as chef Emeril Lagasse and actress Patricia Clarkson.with the slogan "COME FALL IN LOVE WITH LOUISIANA ALL OVER AGAIN." Attracting tourists was vital, as one third of the city's operating budget, approximately $6 billion, came from the tourism industry. Officials saw tourists as vital for economic recovery in the city.
A major impedance for tourists were the mixed messages regarding the city's level of recovery. Advertising campaigns gave the impression that the city was thriving. At the same time, New Orleans was asking for increased federal assistance and National Guardsmen to combat crime waves in the city.
The tourism industry received a boon when the 2006 Mardi Gras went off without a hitch. Popular Bourbon Street restaurants, such as Galatoire's, reopened around this time as well. Reopening and rebuilding of popular tourist attractions led to a surge in post-Katrina tourists. By 2009, the city attracted 7.9 million tourists.
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