The U.S. Travel Association announced Wednesday that New Orleans will be the venue for IPW 2016-the first time the blockbuster travel industry event has returned to the Crescent City since 2002. New Orleans also previously hosted the annual five-day event, formerly known as International Pow Wow, in 1993 and 1979.
IPW is the largest travel trade show in North America-a one-stop opportunity for U.S. destinations, attractions and businesses to showcase themselves to thousands of influential travel professionals from international markets. The business transacted at IPW has been calculated by the independent firm Rockport Analytics to bring nearly one million extra international visitors and $1.7 billion in international tourism spending to recent host cities, and 8.8 million additional international visitors and $28 billion in international tourism spending to the U.S. economy overall.
"One of the major objectives of IPW is to spotlight the economic benefits of travel and tourism, and few cities anywhere in the world understand that equation as well as New Orleans," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "New Orleans epitomizes the idea of rolling out the welcome mat for your guests. We&apos;re thrilled that IPW&apos;s exhibitors and attendees will be able to experience this utterly unique American destination for the first time in over a decade."
Greater Miami and The Beaches had been previously announced as the host city for IPW 2016, but arrangements for the event were postponed when the City of Miami Beach Commission voted through a $500 million renovation and expansion of the city&apos;s convention center, set to begin in 2015 and last an estimated three years.
"We have to change venues for IPW 2016 for the best, most welcome reason we can possibly think of: Miami has wisely decided to make a huge investment in its convention space," Dow said. "The fiscal benefits of that decision will return to the city many times over, and in the meantime, we will have another top-shelf new facility to consider for a future IPW."
Dow praised the handling of the transition by both Miami and New Orleans, and called it a virtual certainty that IPW will return to Greater Miami and The Beaches once upgrades to its convention facilities are complete.
"We are thrilled to showcase New Orleans to the entire world marketplace for international travel by hosting IPW in June 2016," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. "New Orleans is a magical place built on deeply rooted culture, innovative and authentic food, inspiring music and fabled architecture. We travel the world to meet with our travel industry partners to encourage them to bring business to New Orleans, but having them come and experience all that we have to offer first hand is an opportunity that is a catalytic game changer."
"The timing could not be better. Hosting this critical international selling and marketing show is a perfect fit with our plans for the world promotion of New Orleans&apos; 300th Tricentennial birthday in 2018. This will result in hundreds of millions of new dollars of international capital flowing into New Orleans and Louisiana," Perry said.
The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $2.1 trillion in economic output and supports 14.9 million jobs. U.S. Travel&apos;s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.
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, Washington, D.C. and four foreign countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 54th anniversary in 2014. For more information, please visit http://www.neworleanscvb.com/; www.facebook.com/neworleans; www.twitter.com/neworleans.