New Orleans Named America’s Top Halloween Destination by Travelocity

New Orleans also tops lists of Condé Nast Traveler, Saveur and USA Today readers choice awards

NEW ORLEANS – Oct. 28, 2013 – New Orleans has racked up more national honors, including being named the number one destination in America for celebrating Halloween by Travelocity. America’s most haunted city also received top honors for its culture, restaurants and dining from readers of Condé Nast Traveler, Saveur and USA Today.

• This month, Travelocity’s travel experts named New Orleans as the Top National Halloween Destination. The travel outlet mentions New Orleans’ ghost tours, elaborate costume balls, Krewe of Boo and haunted hotels as reasons why New Orleans is the top destination in the world for Halloween.

• Condé Nast Traveler placed New Orleans on its highly coveted Top 10 Cities in the United States Readers’ Choice Awards, receiving the highest marks for culture, atmosphere and restaurants. Condé Nast Traveler readers call New Orleans “a magical city” and say it has “the best food in the U.S., with live music around every corner.” Nearly 80,000 readers of Condé Nast Traveler took part in the survey for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, more than ever before, and results will be printed in their November 2013 issue.

• Saveur magazine named New Orleans as the Reader’s Choice for Restaurants and Dining and gave the city Outstanding Mention for Cocktails and Drinks Culture in this year’s Culinary Travel Awards 2013. Also, the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans made the Outstanding Hotel Bars list. A poll open to all Saveur and Saveur.com readers determined the honorees for Readers’ Choice and Outstanding Mention and results were announced this month.

• Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter has been named one of the “Iconic American Streets” by 10Best Readers’ Choice, a division of USA Today Travel.  Often a favorite of visitors, Bourbon Street’s jazz, nightlife, architecture and French Creole cuisine were highlighted by 10Best.

“Once again, New Orleans is setting standards within the tourism industry,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We thank the readers of these prominent media outlets, who know what we know…that New Orleans is the best city in America to visit and live.”

“A trip to New Orleans is always an exciting and rewarding adventure,” said Mark Romig, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. “We are honored to be on ‘Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Ten Cities’ list, and thank its readers for their confidence. Additionally, as a city where many famous cocktails have been created, we hope when you travel here you’ll check out the Sazerac Bar, listed inSaveur’s  restaurants and dining category in its ‘Readers’ Choice awards.”

“These awards are true reflections of how our chefs, mixologists and entire hospitality industry not only work hard every day to preserve the rich history and culture that New Orleans has been known and loved by visitors for centuries, but continue to evolve their masterpieces for the modern traveler, and keep our destination a place that visitors want to return often,” said Stephen Perry, New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau President and CEO.

As a popular destination for holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and for special events such as Voodoo Music + Art Experience and Bayou Classic, New Orleans looks forward to welcoming visitors in the upcoming months. Promotions such as Christmas New Orleans Style invite visitors to experience the holidays in this historic and culturally rich city with hotel deals, reveillon dinners and holiday events.

In addition, according to the New Orleans CVB, convention business in the fall of 2013 is up nearly 60 percent compared to the same time last year. Hosting major medical conventions such as American Dental Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Hematology further boosts visitor numbers for 2013.

The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Phoenix and four foreign countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 53nd anniversary in 2013. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com;www.facebook.com/neworleanscvb; www.twitter.com/neworleans.

About New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC)

NOTMC promotes the city as a leisure tourism destination throughout the year. Annually, NOTMC's marketing campaigns include strategic print, broadcast, and Internet advertising and public relations. Websites:NewOrleansOnline.com; NewOrleansMuseums.com;
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