As New Orleans gears up to host Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, state officials are eager to capitalize on all of the attention that the big game will bring to the Bayou State.
That’s according to Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, who tells Daily Report that the Super Bowl’s impact on the state will be felt in more ways than one. Though the event will naturally bring with it a torrent of tourism dollars, it may also serve as an economic development engine.
“I’m looking forward to the Super Bowl not because I’m a football fan but because we are the first place ever to turn the Super Bowl into a weeklong business summit,” Bourgeois says. “The NFL is sort of amazed by how we’re doing that.”
Bourgeois hopes that the Super Bowl, which is expected to attract at least 125,000 visitors to New Orleans and capture the attention of some 250 million TV viewers, will not only draw global attention to Louisiana’s cultural attractions but also showcase the state’s business opportunities and economic potential.
“We have super aggressive plans around what we think the Super Bowl opportunity is,” she says.
Super Bowl LIX will mark New Orleans’ 11th time hosting the game, tying Miami for the record of most Super Bowls hosted by a single city.
The economic benefits of hosting a Super Bowl can be substantial; for reference, Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas had a $1 billion economic impact on the city. About $560 million has been poured into renovations to the Caesars Superdome ahead of the event, and in June, key stakeholders got to work on a number of significant infrastructure revitalization projects around the New Orleans metro in an effort to put the city’s best foot forward.
