New Orleans

Despite the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the spirit of the city and the passion of its people would not let the city die. Built into the culture of the city is a resilience that said that even in the worst disaster New Orleans could do what it had always done – get up and rebuild one of the premier party cities in the USA. The French Quarter, probably the city's biggest draw, was thankfully relatively unharmed. The city, while not completely what it used to be, still has enough great things to offer visitors and can certainly draw more than sympathy. Once the state of Louisiana's top visitor destination it is the traveller's dollars and not the governments who will ultimately restore New Orleans. And, as proven by Mardi Gras 2006, the New Orleans people are not going to give up the party. When all is done and dusted what remains is that New Orleans regains all of its allure and attraction by itself – serving up the entertainment value it always has and regaining its focus on being the multi-cultural tourist magnet with stimuli for all of the senses.