2025 was another big year for tourism in Louisiana, with 45 million people visiting the state. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says those visitors spent big while in the state, generating very valuable tax revenue.
“They spent $18.8 billion, and they generated $1.9 billion in taxes. That’s a little over $1,100 per Louisiana family that you and I didn’t have to pay,” Nungesser said.
While New Orleans is obviously the runaway leader in terms of cities, Nungesser says the state has been very aggressive in marketing the entire state as a great place to visit.
“We’re seeing more and more people traveling to Louisiana, going to Mardi Gras celebrations all over the state; plus, we’ve marketed nearly 400 fairs and festivals, which get people moving all over Louisiana, not just the big cities,” Nungesser noted.
Louisiana’s tourism numbers in 2025 were bolstered by domestic visitors. Nungesser says foreign travel to Louisiana was down last year, particularly from Canada, which has historically been Louisiana’s largest market for foreign visitors. Nungesser says travel agents in Canada have expressed serious concerns to him on behalf of travelers from their country.
“They said, ‘Billy, we’re not coming back until either the President apologizes about naming Canada the 51st state, or he’s out of office.’ So I had asked him to apologize; that didn’t go over so well,” Nungesser said.
Nungesser says he expects a rebound in foreign travel starting next year, when New Orleans hosts the IPW Convention, which is the travel industry’s biggest convention.