Louisiana Office of Tourism's Mike Prejean &
Kyle Edmiston with Lieutenant Governor
Jay Dardenne (centre)
Ramon Gomez, West Baton Rouge CVB;
Katie Guasco, Visit Baton Rouge; & Megan Ryburn, River Parishes Tourist Commission
Air Canada's Michelle Young with Huntington Travel's Bruce Slade
Merit's Scott Baglole & Air Canada Vacations' Nancy Jeronimo
Louisiana's Canadian rep Joanne Scalamogna
I get a snapshot with Frank Carrico, Consul for Commercial Affairs of the Consulate General of the United States of America
"Say Acadian 3 times fast and you eventually get the word Cajun," said Jay Dardenne, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Louisiana at a presentation luncheon held last week at Toronto's Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. It’s the perfect way to remind us of the special relationship we hold with the state dating back to the 17th century when Louisiana was settled by French colonists. Acadian settlers were exiled from our Maritime provinces to Louisiana during the French and Indian War, giving birth to the distinctive Cajun culture and dialect, Cajun food and Cajun music we love to experience today.
“We welcome Canadians in large numbers and want to welcome them in even larger numbers,” said Lieutenant Governor Dardenne. “It’s the accessibility and the connection between Louisiana and Canada that draws y’all. It’s a natural connection that we love to talk about and share with Canadians.”
New Orleans is just a 2 ½ hr. flight from YYZ and Air Canada will begin daily services in September. They stopped flying to the destination after Hurricane Katrina, but resumed flights in 2010.
“Especially since Katrina, tourism growth has been tremendous,” said Kyle Edmiston, Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Office of Tourism. “Number 1, I think it’s our authenticity. Number 2, with all the recent TV shows and reality shows, whether it shows Louisiana in a favourable light or not, people are intrigued.”
There are numerous attractions in the ‘bon temps rouler’ state. 2013 has been the year of music, highlighting all the distinct music genres that Louisiana has given birth to including jazz, swamp pop and brass hop. Poverty Point in Louisiana has been nominated to be a World Heritage Site for 2014. And New Orleans will celebrate its tri-centennial in 2018.
