NEW ORLEANS
Seven years after Hurricane Katrina led to catastrophic flooding in the city, New Orleans' tourist industry is preparing for Isaac's potential arrival as a Category 1 hurricane early Wednesday.
Hotels are expected to remain open and serve guests, as long as there is not a mandatory evacuation order. A mandatory evacuation order is not expected at this time. Visitors, you may wish to contact your hotel if you have questions about your reservation. A number of hotels are continuing to accept reservations at this time, however, some have decided to suspend new reservations during the time of the storm.
The city's mayor has called for voluntary evacuations, and all flights into and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport are cancelled Tuesday. According to NOLA.com, hotels remain open but several - including the city's largest hotel, the 1,600-room Hilton New Orleans Riverside - are not accepting new reservations. Several major restaurants and attractions, including the New Orleans Museum of Art and Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas, will be closed until Thursday.
According to a University of New Orleans study released on Aug. 16, the leisure and hospitality industry has recovered almost completely since Katrina, with 91 percent of pre-Katrina employment levels. Moreover, notes IBTraveler.com, there are now about 500 more restaurants in the city than before the storm, and the number of hotel rooms is just 2,000 lower than pre-Katrina levels, at 36,000.
Courtesy of USAToday.com
