BP grant after oil spill will be used for New Orleans area tourism promotion
by Robert Travis Scott - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

A marketing campaign for the New Orleans area will be among the key targets of a $15 million tourism promotion effort launched by the lieutenant governor's office using money from BP to mitigate damages to the state's visitor and convention businesses in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle announced Tuesday evening his plan to spend a BP grant which is expected to be given to the Louisiana Office of Tourism, part of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism under his authority. "After careful consideration and input from tourism stakeholders I feel this plan will mitigate damages most effectively," Angelle said. The agency solicited input from Louisiana tourism officials, conducted research of the current state of the tourism industry and the national perception of Louisiana following an influx of negative media coverage, he said. The $15 million will be split evenly among three cooperative efforts. A third of the money will be dedicated to the New Orleans regional marketing campaign, another third will address coastal Louisiana and the remainder will be for a general Louisiana marketing effort, including promotion of Louisiana seafood, restaurants, multicultural tourism and special events.