Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – Tourism is a big economic driver in Louisiana, accounting for billions of dollars in revenue. Today, tourism officials from across the state are in Lake Charles this week for the Louisiana Travel Summit. We spoke with Angie Manning with Visit Lake Charles this morning who provided some information on not only the event but also the importance of keeping our tourism industry strong.
The Louisiana Travel Summit will be hosted by Visit Lake Charles, the Louisiana Travel Association, and the Louisiana Office of Tourism beginning today at the Golden Nugget.
The event is expected to bring more than 500 attendees to Southwest Louisiana for what it calls the largest educational opportunity for tourism professionals in the state.
Summit attendees will experience highlights such as a keynote address from Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser on the state of the tourism industry and initiatives that the state is pursuing to bolster travel to Louisiana. They will also hear from educational speakers from across the country covering a variety of subjects including group business, product development, digital marketing, social media, public relations, leadership practices, international travel, and the championing of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tourism space.
According to Visit Lake Charles, in 2021, Louisiana attracted 41 million domestic and international visitors, generating $16.8 billion in visitor spending, and there were $1.6 billion total state and local tax revenues resulting from travel and tourism activities in Louisiana. That makes the Louisiana travel and tourism industry the 5th highest employer in the state.
“Tourism has been a major economic driver for our community for many years, and we are thrilled to once again welcome industry professionals from across the state to Lake Charles for the annual Louisiana Travel Summit,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “The Gulf Coast region of our state has experienced much devastation in recent years due to a string of natural disasters. Southwest Louisiana in particular was deeply impacted, but the resiliency of our community has been a bright light during this time, and we look forward to showcasing the progress made while sharing the great news that Southwest Louisiana is open for business!”
While summit attendees are in the Lake Area, Visit Lake Charles staff will be organizing tours to highlight adventures in the great outdoors as well as opportunities to sample locally made products and explore attractions and local businesses that cater to the overall visitor experience in Southwest Louisiana.
The summit will run from today through Thursday, Aug. 25.
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