New Orleans tourism industry opens Media Center City, State

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:       Larry Lovell                          Laura Claverie
               504-210-1218 direct                   504-524-4784 office
               504-289-7713 mobile                   lclaverie@notmc.com
               larrylovell@notmc.com

  New Orleans tourism industry opens Media Center
 City, State partner to promote positive news of New Orleans’ rebuilding

NEW ORLEANS (November 29, 2005) – The New Orleans tourism industry today announced
the opening of a special media center inside the Sheraton Hotel downtown to promote the
positive stories associated with the city’s recovery and rebirth to media worldwide, and officials
say that the effort is a partnership between city and state entities.

“New Orleans has faced a tragedy of unparalleled proportions as a result of Hurricane Katrina,”
says Sandra S. Shilstone, President and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing
Corporation. “But in the face of this disaster there are positive stories of recovery and rebirth
that aren’t receiving the attention that they warrant, and we plan to do everything we can to turn
the focus on the good things that are happening in New Orleans – our success in rebuilding our
city depends on it.”

Shilstone added that tourism is New Orleans’ largest economic engine, and the industry is
committed to returning the city to prominence among travelers around the world – but that won’t
happen she says without changing travelers’ attitudes and dispelling some of the misperceptions
that have been perpetuated by the media.

“The majority of our visitors – including a record 10.1 million last year alone – are repeat
visitors who know and love New Orleans for everything it has to offer, including our unique
culture, amazing Creole and Cajun cuisine, a music tradition that gave birth to jazz and rock ‘n’
roll, and hospitality that is unrivaled” Shilstone says. “Once people understand that the tourism
landmarks and attractions survived largely unscathed, that restaurants are reopening by the
dozens each week, that the music clubs are hopping every night, and that there’s ample hotel
room availability, we believe tourism will return to generate much needed economic impact.”

Shilstone noted that the Media Center, which will operate through Mardi Gras, will be a prime
resource for journalists – especially those in the travel and tourism field – who are covering New
Orleans as the city rebuilds and looks to host the 150th anniversary of Carnival parades in late
February.

Other tourism leaders agreed upon the importance of tourism to the city’s rebirth and pointed to
the media center as a key component in aiding the industry’s resurgence.
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J. Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors
Bureau, says Hurricane Katrina led to convention and leisure tourism losses to New Orleans that
equal about $15 million per day, but he added that the Crescent City has few competitors when it
comes to hospitality and marketing know-how.

“We have some of the brightest minds and most dedicated sales professionals in the business,”
Perry says. “Within hours after the storm, we had set up operations centers around the country,
and we were reaching out to our customers to maintain those key relationships that have helped
establish New Orleans as one of the top convention and tourist cities in America.”

Perry and other officials acknowledged that they face many short term challenges but say the
industry will ultimately be one of the catalysts for the city’s return to national prominence.

“Regardless of the negative ‘dialogue’ about the city’s recovery, New Orleans is too important to
the rest of the country for so many reasons and must be rebuilt,” Perry says. “Tourism can be the
beacon that brings people – both natives and visitors – and commerce back to this jewel of the
South.”

The New Orleans Tourism Media Center is created and funded by NOTMC, the city’s leisure
travel promotion entity, in partnership with the Lt. Gov.’s Department of Culture, Recreation and
Tourism, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and hospitality
industry anchors including the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the Louis Armstrong
International Airport, the Port of New Orleans, the Greater New Orleans Hotel-Lodging
Association, and the Louisiana Restaurant Association.

In addition to offering high-speed and wireless Internet service, cable news access, computer
resources, and general office services, the Media Center will be a center for hospitality industry
news conferences and various media broadcasts. It will also serve as a hub for musical
performances, cooking demonstrations, and other New Orleans cultural programs, in addition to
offering regular media itineraries highlighting the city’s offerings for travelers.

Dan King, General Manager of the Sheraton Hotel and incoming president of the Greater New
Orleans Hotel-Lodging Association, says the hospitality industry immediately identified the
importance of the Media Center to the recovery of the city tourism business.

“Our business relies on tourists, and without the industry’s recovery, we won’t survive,” King
says. “By helping facilitate the Media Center, we help promote tourism to our key audiences and
also play an active role in supporting our industry’s recovery.”

Tonight, tourism leaders will hold an open house for the hospitality industry in the Media Center,
with music performed by the Jason Marsalis Quartet and cuisine provided by the New Orleans
Restaurant Association through an array of local restaurants, including Galatoire’s, The Ralph

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Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc., Dickie Brennan & Co., ACME Oyster House, and John Besh of
Restaurant August and the Besh Steakhouse at Harrah’s New Orleans Casino.

The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, Ernest N.
Morial Convention Center, Gray Line New Orleans Tours, Louisiana Department of Culture,
Recreation and Tourism, and Presentation Services Audio Visual Company are title sponsors of
the Media Center.

The New Orleans Tourism Media Center is located in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
downtown at 500 Canal Street in “The Gallery” on the first floor at the corner of Camp and
Canal Streets. The Media Center’s hours are 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays, and its hours will
increase as Carnival season nears. Journalists interested in using the New Orleans Media Center
are encouraged to contact NOTMC at 504-524-4784, or e-mail media@notmc.com.

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