La. joins in a salute to travel in May

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel Editor
• Published: May 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05am

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Louisiana will join hundreds of states, cities and businesses in a salute to tourism this month. Special events, from high-powered seminars to welcoming lemonade stands for visitors, will be customized on local levels throughout the U.S.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with “the appropriate ceremonies and activities.” In honor of this year’s silver anniversary, the Travel Industry Association, has selected this year’s theme, “Discover Great American Traditions.”

In Louisiana, local tourism officials will be planning customized events. Darienne Mobley, co-director of Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, said, “They will be trying to bring awareness in their own communities about the importance of tourism in their area.”
According to surveys conducted be the Louisiana Office of Tourism, on any given day, visitors spend about $26 million in Louisiana hotels, restaurants and airports. More than 200,000 Louisiana residents are employed in the hospitality and leisure industry in this state.

The good news is that the number of U.S. travelers who visited Louisiana in 2007 grew by 30 percent over the number who visited in 2006. According to projections by the University of New Orleans, the amount of dollars spent annually by visitors will return to the state’s benchmark year of 2004, (a pre Katrina level of nearly $10 billion) by the year 2010.

On a state level, Louisiana Tourism Awareness Day takes place Wednesday, May 21, in Baton Rouge. “We always hold the event one week after the national meeting,” said Mobley.

Chuck Morse, assistant secretary Louisiana Office of Tourism, a partner in the event, said “Tourism Awareness Day is a day to celebrate our industry and our partners. On that day we will officially launch our new ‘My Louisiana’ marketing campaign. We will show all our print and television ads. All the participants in the ads have been photographed, and the ads are now complete.”
Morse said that the Office of Tourism plans to focus its efforts on regional and national marketing for summer and fall. “We have also resigned the LouisianaTravel Web site so it can be a companion to our new Louisiana campaign.”

Tourism and hospitality officials will start the day with an 11 a.m. registration at the Capitol Park Welcome Center. It will be followed immediately by a “This is Our Louisiana” lunch sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Under the direction of Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. Morse and other state officials will present updates on activities of the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

Following a 1 p.m. session on legislative updates on current tourism-related bills pending legislation, participants will visit their respective legislators at the Louisiana State Capitol. Tourism representatives who want to attend the event can obtain registration forms from LTPA by contacting http://www.LTPA.org.

Step Outside Day
Saturday, May 10, is “Step Outside Day.” The Sherburne Wildlife Management Area Headquarters, in Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin will sponsor a program to showcase the diverse beauty of the area.

Free to the public, events will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Local sponsors are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While the program is targeted to people with disabilities with little or no opportunity to engage in outdoor activities, but activities are open to everyone.

Activities will include Antler shed hunting, archery/crossbow, bear maze, bird watching, boat rides, decoy painting, fishing, laser shooting, nature photography, target and trap shooting and wood craft construction. Exhibits will be on alligators, black bear, dog training, raptors, trapping techniques, turkey/duck calling, turkey trapping and water safety. All equipment and lunches will be provided. No alcoholic beverages or glass containers will be allowed.

During Step Outside Day, the National Audubon Society will dedicate the Atchafalaya Basin as an Important Bird Area. The program identifies areas that concentrate conservation efforts to provide vital habitat for breeding, migratory and wintering bird species.
A separate event the same day will be the Neotropic Songbird Tour/ Participants will be lead to several sites where guides will help them with bird identifications. At each site it may be possible to hear as many as 15 species of birds. Bring binoculars. Meet with guides from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Whiskey Bay Exit on I-10. Look for a gravel pull-off just after turning onto La. 975.

The Sherburne Wildlife Management Area Headquarters, near Krotz Springs is on La. 975 between I-10 and U.S. 190 on the east side of the Atchafalaya River levee. Registration for Step Outside Day starts at 8 a.m. For information, call (337) 585-0853. Also visit: http://www.stepoutsideday.org; http://www.nssf.org.