The Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (NACVB) collected $32,507 in hotel tax for April. Administrative fees were $975 for a net total of $31,532, which is $882 over last year and $2,000 over the projected budget for April.
The Visitor Enterprise Funds from the state were cut by $7,000. According to NACVB Director Arlene Gould, for the last fiscal year the fund was cut from $130,000 to $100,000 and the most recent special session cut it further. This is 19.23 percent of the NACVB’s budget. With the new fiscal year starting July 1, Gould said, “Who knows what will happen.”
A group of 19 international tour operators will tour Natchitoches June 24 on a post Familiarization (FAM) tour from an International IPW Conference being held in New Orleans. The operators are traveling from countries including India, France, Canada, Germany, Denmark, China, Guatemala, Australia, Romania and Austria.
The Tourist Office logged 88 international visitors in April, totaling 311 year-to-date. The total visitors logged at the office totaled 1,060 for April and 3,226 year-to-date.
Twenty-five professionals will attend a LTPA Leadership Academy in Natchitoches June 9. The focus is product development and Natchitoches was chosen for its abundance of state historic sites, museums and organizations.
“We’re excited they chose to come to Natchitoches,” said Gould.
I never realized how many people visit our city from all over the WORLD until I started working on front street. I always love to ask how they found us. We truly live in a jewel of a city!
The professionals at our Convention and Visitors Bureau work very hard to continuously advertise our beautiful city…day and night, as a matter of fact, as they host dinner groups and travel out of town, which involves evenings as well. Their efforts are much appreciated by those who depend upon the increasing tourist numbers which translates into filled restaurants, shops, hotels and B&Bs.