Selling Louisiana: See what's in the $10M state tourism budget — music, football, nature, parades
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) -- The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget approved $10 million dollars for a large-scale marketing campaign from the Louisiana tourism industry to bring in more visitors.
A new advertising campaign called "My Louisiana" was launched this year to get more people outside the state to visit. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said in a statement that the campaign focuses on how the Pelican State has something for everyone.
“We placed an emphasis on showcasing so many of the state’s great travel assets, like fishing, swamp tours, and our great outdoors, as well as our different genres of music, fresh seafood, and the unique spices and flavors that all foodies can enjoy," said Nungesser. "Without question ‘My Louisiana’ will tap into the unique culture and history that lies around every corner and makes our state a top visitor destination.”
Specifically, according to a release from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the campaign targets markets like Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago. Funding totaling $350,000 is approved for advertising in airports in Dallas-Forth Worth, Atlanta and Houston.
The New Orleans airport is getting a piece of the multi-million dollar pie with $50,000 to advertise day trips and travel spots outside the Crescent City.
The campaign includes New York Times Square billboards and outlets like Rolling Stone and Billboard. A total of $300,000 in the budget combines music and the outdoors in Sportsman's Paradise for a Rolling Stone birding series with Louisiana artists.
There are plans for a four-hour takeover at the Las Vegas Exosphere, a high-tech venue, along with a one-week residency on the sphere totaling $650,000, according to the marketing budget.
Internationally, $2 million is going toward advertising efforts in targeted markets, documents show.
In Louisiana, it's never too early to think about football. The budget puts $500,000 into promoting the state in Las Vegas before and during the Super Bowl to advertise tourism for the Big Game in 2025, when New Orleans is set to host the competition.
The state known for parades will be a part of the Macy's Parade and Rose Parade. Lawmakers approved $1,000,000 related to these events.
Plans for 2024 in state tourism marketing, according to Nungesser, features a "Year of Music," with promotions built around Louisiana's strong ties to music and culture. A campaign supporting this includes a commercial promoting the music native to the Bayou State, like Cajun, zydeco, jazz and blues.
Social media will play a role as the state tourism office looks to spend $100,000 to work with "homegrown" artists and musicians to do social media takeovers during the "Year of Music." Per the budget description, this will include allowing musicians to become an ambassador and sharing their favorite things to do in Louisiana.
Another music-related campaign, costing $200,000, includes making a zodiac-based guide for visitors to plan their trip based on their star sign.
An augmented reality experience will be created to give visitors a view of a high-traffic area like an airport or train station. A $300,000 budget was approved for this.
Other assets of the campaign to draw visitors to Louisiana are digital video, digital display and print advertising, streaming audio, still photography, visitor guide assets and trade show assets.
Visit the Explore Louisiana website to start planning a trip.