FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:                                                                      
Kristian Sonnier, New Orleans CVB, 504-566-5045, ksonnier@neworleanscvb.com
Lea Sinclair, NOTMC, 504-491-5330, lea@notmc.com

 

Lucky No. 7: New Orleans Named No. 7 City in the World and The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery Named No. 7 Hotel in the U.S. by the Readers of Travel + Leisure
City Ranked Second Best City in America in Addition to being Named to the Top Cities in the World List


NEW ORLEANS – (July 7, 2016) – On what is deemed one of the luckiest days of the year (7/7), New Orleans is celebrating two No. 7 designations in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2016 just announced. The readers of the prominent travel magazine have named New Orleans the No. 7 City in the World and The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, one of the city’s newest hotels, the No. 7 City Hotel in the Continental United States. New Orleans was also named the No. 2 City in the United States for the third consecutive year.

In its 21st year, Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards is an annual readers’ survey that rates destinations, hotels, airports, cruise lines and more.  New Orleans ranked ahead of Rome, Barcelona, Bangkok and Cape Town in the list of the World’s Best Cities and second to Charleston in the U.S., and ahead of cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Savannah. Readers ranked cities on their sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value.

“New Orleans has long been a favorite for visitors from every corner of the globe to explore. Our rich history, unmatched Southern hospitality and unrivaled authenticity can’t be found anywhere else in the world.  The most distinctive, unparalleled cuisine in America combines with our rich original jazz and music scene to create a sensory wonderland of exploration for visitors.” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized as one of the top 15 cities in not only the U.S., but the entire world. This recognition is so special because it is feedback directly from the readers of Travel +Leisure, our visitors, and they continue to visit because they recognize that New Orleans is simply one of the best cities on Earth.” 

“Being the seventh ranked city in the entire world is simply awesome,” said Mark Romig, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. “Regardless of rankings, our visitors always receive a number one level of hospitality that includes our food, music, and culture.”

The designation as a World’s Best City is New Orleans’ most recent accomplishment in a string of accolades including Condé Nast Traveler’s list of Best Big Cities in the U.S., The Washington Post’s list of 10 Best Food Cities in America, Travel  + Leisure’s list of America’s Favorite Cities and among others.

More information on Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards and a complete list of winners can be found at www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best and is the cover story of the August issue of the magazine, on newsstands July 15.

The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Chicago, Louisville, KY, Washington, D.C. and six foreign countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 55th anniversary in 2015. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com; www.facebook.com/neworleans; www.twitter.com/neworleanscvb.

The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation is the City of New Orleans’ official leisure travel promotion agency created to foster jobs and economic growth by developing the tourism industry in New Orleans. NOTMC is publicly funded and provides year-round online marketing, advertising, public relations and special event programming in order to support the growth of leisure travel to New Orleans.