An online poll conducted by Yahoo!
Travel and National Geographic Traveler magazine named New Orleans as the
top family vacation destination in the United States, and the prestigious
distinction is a positive reflection of the city’s tourism advertising and
marketing campaigns, says Sandra S. Shilstone, President and CEO of the
New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, which conducts these efforts. “When NOTMC launched its first family marketing campaign in the summer of
2001, family travelers were barely a blip on the radar screen,” Shilstone
says. “Today, as a result of our continued, strategic marketing efforts to
attract these visitors, families comprise nearly 15.5 percent of our total
visitation, growing 225 percent in the last year alone.”

By partnering with world-class attractions such as the Audubon Nature
Institute and Six Flags New Orleans, Shilstone says travelers’ impressions
and attitudes nationally are changing for the better about the Crescent
City.

“New Orleans will always be identified for its legendary adult vacation
offerings—and justifiably so—but our efforts to expand the market
base for family travelers is working,” Shilstone says. “People now
recognize that New Orleans has a lot of unparalleled offerings for people
of all ages, and our family visitation figures and the Yahoo! Travel poll
give our efforts credence.”

The poll also lists the top five components travelers are looking for in a
family vacation, which are cost, safety, sightseeing opportunities,
reliably good weather, and opportunities for recreation. The entire poll
can be seen by visiting http://travel.yahoo.com/family .
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