This week, more than 6,000 attendees from 73 countries convened in New Orleans for IPW 2016. International travel buyers and U.S. travel suppliers conducted a record number of business appointments, which will bring billions in future travel business to the U.S.—and further serve to keep America open and connected to the world. A special thanks to the premier partner, Brand USA, and our local hosts, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau and Louisiana Office of Tourism, who helped make this an incredibly successful event.
Today, Friday, June 24th, Natchitoches was lucky enough to be a part of a Post FAM Tour with seventeen international tour operators. The Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a lunch for the operators and showcased the Historic District before leaving and heading to Shreveport. During lunch, Mayor Lee Posey and Arlene Gould, Executive Director of the NACVB, welcomed the group, while Katherine Johnson, Groups and Special Events Manager with the NACVB encouraged future tours of Natchitoches. The operators were able to visit and mingle with Natchitoches City officials and listen to Rebecca Blackenbaker, Director of Communications, with the Cane River National Heritage Area present an overview of the history and cultural heritage of the region. Dustin Fuqua, Chief of Resource Management, provided an synopsis of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Jeremy McCormick, Interpretive Ranger of Fort St Jean Baptiste was present and discussed the history of the Fort; while lastly, Steven Fullen, Director of Interpretation at Cane River National Heritage Area, discussed the importance of the Grand Ecore Visitor Center.