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Tax-funded New Orleans tourism marketing organization blames repeated violations of COVID-19 safety rules on Bourbon Street and other areas that cater to tourists by blaming locals to be the problem.
In an email to members and colleagues, New Orleans & Company CEO Stephen Perry wrote that residents were recently behind the scenes of “blatantly dangerous behavior” that prompted Mayor LaToya Cantrell to impose controversial new rules that will come into effect for the last days of the carnival season.
On February 5, Cantrell announced that bars in the city would be closed from February 12 to 16, in addition to some streets that are usually filled with celebrations, in order to mitigate the current spread of COVID-19.
Cantrell announces new Mardi Gras Covid restrictions: bar closings, street barricades
Cantrell and New Orleans & Company have both been criticized for encouraging visitors to travel to New Orleans, despite the dangers of travel during a pandemic.
But Perry, whose organization represents local businesses and multinational hotel chains, insists the locals are at fault.
“Our own residents have created a dilemma for the government,” the letter states.
Perry also urged city officials, who have been vetted for lax enforcement, to reconsider how they handle code violations and “blatant” illegal public gatherings.
“It wasn’t the small number of responsible tourists that we hosted or the majority of our citizens and businesses,” Perry said.
Perry also criticized the “young people” of New Orleans, specifically referring to a recent party at Uptown Monkey Hill bar attended by crowds of college students.
In recent weeks, an increase in the number of visitors has descended on the city to rejoice, although the numbers are far from close to previous years.
Despite the message from city officials to “act like a local” and wear masks while avoiding crowds, frequently documented footage shows people violating warrants and flocking to popular tourist destinations that don’t. do not tend to attract locals, including Bourbon Street. And last month, a tourist from Oklahoma shot dead a homeless man in the French Quarter.
Some downtown hotels said last week that they plan to fill rooms with people outside the tower over the next few days, predicting they could reach 50% or 60% capacity, despite the cancellation parades and other traditional celebrations.
New Orleans hotels see a small jump in Mardi Gras guests, but how does it compare to previous years?
Hotels are not subject to the same occupancy rules as restaurants or other businesses – except in common areas such as lobbies and elevators.
Perry – who also argued with the mayor last May over the restrictions – called Cantrell’s latest move “problematic” and said he was concerned about the optics.
“We are concerned that our brand will be affected by embarrassing urban messages,” he wrote. “This is where we are when locals do stupid things and the city’s compliance and rapid response are weak or nonexistent in real time.”
Read the whole letter here.
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