Visit Baton Rouge celebrates record visitation during National Travel and Tourism Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2024

CONTACT:
Tamaria Williams, Communications Manager
(225) 382-3577
tamaria@visitbatonrouge.com

BATON ROUGE, La. – Visit Baton Rouge, the destination marketing organization for East Baton Rouge Parish, announced record economic impact for the area’s tourism industry today. The record 8.8 million visitors in 2023 spent $1.7 billion in the parish, supporting about 40,000 local jobs.

The announcement came as a part of Visit Baton Rouge’s National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) celebration, marking the travel industry’s critical role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities, creating quality job opportunities, inspiring new businesses and enhancing the quality of life.

As part of the celebration, Visit Baton Rouge hosted a special tourism luncheon that featured key industry updates from President & CEO Jill Kidder and a keynote presentation by Butch Spyridon, former President & CEO of Nashville Tourism. The luncheon gathered industry stakeholders and partners to honor the substantial contributions of tourism to Baton Rouge.

The organization also highlighted additional key statistics for 2023, including:

• 52.9% of visitors came from out of state.
• These visitors spent an average of $296 per person, with 37% spent on the vibrant restaurant scene.
• Tourism saves the average household more than $1,100 in taxes annually.
• Meetings, conventions and sporting events had an economic impact of $46.2 million, with 242 events held.

”2023 was an incredible year for tourism in Baton Rouge – and that momentum has definitely carried into 2024,” said Jill Kidder, President & CEO of Visit Baton Rouge. “These record numbers don’t happen without teamwork by everyone from our elected officials to the frontline hotel staffers who provide daily customer service to visitors. Visit Baton Rouge is proud to honor the hard work of the entire industry.”

Already in 2024, Baton Rouge has successfully hosted three sold-out Savannah Banana baseball games, the inaugural Masters of Strength Fest and a number of youth sports events and group meetings. Later in the year, Baton Rouge’s new botanic gardens holiday lighting event, Louisiana Lights, will give visitors even more of a reason to visit during the holiday season.

For more information about Visit Baton Rouge and the impact of tourism in the capital city, please visit www.visitbatonrouge.com/about-us/why-tourism-matters/.

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About Visit Baton Rouge

Visit Baton Rouge is the designated Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for East Baton Rouge Parish, responsible for promoting and showcasing the region. Our primary mission is to increase visitation to and awareness of the Baton Rouge area thereby enhancing economic impact. Find recent press releases and tourism news at visitbatonrouge.com/media/press-releases. Join our social media community and follow us @visitbatonrouge.