A new report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association indicates 38% of Louisiana hotel jobs have been lost because of the coronavirus pandemic. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the job losses could have been worse.
“Evacuees for the hurricane filled a short gap and we’ve been pretty successful in the staycations, getting Louisianans to go around the state,” said Nungesser.
The Lt. Governor’s office says statewide leisure and hospitality jobs have improved by 44% since record lows in April.
And Nungesser’s office says Louisiana’s weekly travel spending totaled 284-million dollars in the first week of September, a significant increase of 79$ over the last month.
Nungesser says the state is already doing its part to market the area to incoming conventions and conferences by incentivizing organizers with free Louisiana seafood and Louisiana musical performers for their events.
“Instead of crawling back to the record numbers we had last year, we will bounce back rather quickly. I think if we don’t do that, we’ll see many hotels, restaurants, and businesses fail and not come back,” said Nungesser.
The worry about canceling Mardi Gras and other events in 2021 continues to grow with some, but Nungesser is still hopeful that Carnival season will take place.
“If we’ve got to cancel Mardi Gras, fairs, and festivals next year, this country has bigger problems than Mardi Gras. I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Nungesser.
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