Louisiana Unveils Celebrity-Studded Tourism Campaign

March 9, 2006

Louisiana Unveils Celebrity-Studded Tourism Campaign
March 9, 2006 – The state of Louisiana had introduced a star-studded, $7 million advertising campaign to attract tourists to the state and help boost the economy along the hurricane-ravaged coast.

Chef Emeril Lagasse, professional golfer David Toms, actor John Goodman and musicians Wynton Marsalis and Allen Toussaint are among the celebrities with Louisiana connections appearing in a TV commercial, according to CNN. The commercials will thank Americans for their hurricane recovery efforts and asks that they return to enjoy the state’s art, food and music.

"Come for the people. Come for beignets," says actress Patricia Clarkson, a New Orleans native who most recently played a role in the Oscar-nominated movie "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Called "Fall in Love with Louisiana All Over Again," the campaign consists of a commercial and half-dozen print ads. Many of the ads depict New Orleans – Goodman tipping his hat from a New Orleans streetcar, Toussaint sitting at a piano on a French Quarter sidewalk.

In an earlier statement made in February, Angele Davis, secretary of the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, said, "These ads will market the entire state of Louisiana in an effort to bring tourists back to the state and re-ignite the tourism industry. These ads will also help counter and reverse the negative images portrayed during and immediately after the storms."

For more information, visit http://www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/.