Local flavor pads our bottom line

Our rich culture, sports, and people draw visitors to Baton Rouge and those visitors leave behind a robust economic impact on our city.

We [The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report] spoke with Karron Alford, Director of Marketing and Technology for Visit Baton Rouge to learn more about just how big of an impact these tourists can make.

“When visitors come to our city the money they spend goes toward our local economy,” Karron says. “In turn, they take some of that weight off local taxpayers.” She adds that “As with any city, we can always find room for improvement, but here in Baton Rouge we have a lot to celebrate, especially with the continued growth that we have seen over the years”

Living in the Capital Region, we often take for granted the fantastic attractions and events we have. We have the opportunity to experience history at Magnolia Mound, explore incredible museums like the Capitol Park Museum, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, LSU Museum of Art and the immersive Rural Life Museum.

We can lose ourselves in music with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra or escape to the theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts, Theatre Baton Rouge, Playmakers, BREC Independence Park Theatre and more. Festivals are a given. We Louisianans do love to get together with food, music, and friends to celebrate just about anything like the Festival of Lights, Baton Rouge Blues Festival, and weekly Live After Five and Perkins Rowe’s Rock N Rowe performances. Yes, there is plenty for us to do in Baton Rouge.

But all of these events and attractions do more than just pass a good time. They feed our local economy. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, and retail outlets thrive and largely rely on the influx to boost the local economy as a whole.

What creates the biggest draw in Baton Rouge? Karron’s answer may surprise you. “Honestly, it’s the people. The people of Baton Rouge that keep them coming back.” Karron adds, “Our tailgate culture of hospitality, comfort, family, and fun leave a lasting impression on the people who visit and they can’t wait to come back.”

 That tailgate culture is about the music, the food, the magic of a tailgate. While tailgating is just a normal way of life for us, it is not that way in other parts of the country. We carry that tailgate spirit with us year-round, and that’s why people love to visit Baton Rouge.