Casino news source: The Daily Herald - http://www.dailyherald.com
New Orleans casino's winnings have shifted to locals
Associated Press
Posted Friday, April 20, 2007
NEW ORLEANS _ In another sign that New Orleans' tourist economy is far from recovered, Harrah's says that 80 percent of the money at its downtown casino here is coming from locals.
Before Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005, Harrah's New Orleans Casino typically won only 40 percent of its money from people living within 50 miles of the city, said Gary Loveman, Harrah's chief executive officer.
It speaks poorly about the willingness of people to travel to New Orleans," Loveman said during an American Gaming Association teleconference about the state of the casino industry in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
At the same time, the gambling hall's monthly winnings are back within pre-Katrina figures. In February, Harrah's New Orleans reported winnings of $30.2 million to the state.
For more than a year, New Orleans tourism and convention officials have complained about the reluctance of out-of-towners to visit the city, emphasizing that although wide swaths of the city remain in wreckage, tourist-oriented areas were largely unaffected by the storm and have been ready to host guests for more than a year.
Loveman said the previous mix of winnings at Harrah's New Orleans was due to a strong convention business and big events such as the Sugar Bowl, Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as a positive overall tourist image of the city. He said the city needs to continue to promote itself to tourists and large groups that host conventions.
Although the convention business continues to rebound, leisure travel is still down, said Mary Beth Romig, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We're all still dealing with this negative image," Romig said. |
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