Louisiana Unveils $7M Tourism Campaign

NEW ORLEANS - The state has rolled out a star-studded, $7 million advertising campaign to lure tourists back to Louisiana and boost the sluggish economy along the hurricane-ravaged coast.

Chef Emeril Lagasse, professional golfer David Toms, actor John Goodman and musicians Wynton Marsalis and Allen Toussaint are among the celebrities with Louisiana connections appearing in a TV commercial that thanks Americans for their hurricane recovery efforts and asks that they return to enjoy the state's art, food and music.

"Come for the people. Come for beignets," says actress Patricia Clarkson, a New Orleans native who most recently played a role in the Oscar-nominated movie "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Called "Fall in Love with Louisiana All Over Again," the campaign consists of a commercial and half-dozen print ads.

There was not enough money to air the commercials nationally, so they will be concentrated in large nearby markets, including Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, said Angele Davis, secretary of the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

"We're hoping for congressional relief dollars to help expand the campaign," Davis said.

The print ads will be in dozens of major newspapers and magazines, including Food and Wine and Essence, Davis said.

Many of the ads depict New Orleans — Goodman tipping his hat from a New Orleans streetcar, Toussaint sitting at a piano on a French Quarter sidewalk.

"These ads get the message across that many of the cultural elements are intact," Davis said.

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