The tax-funded New Orleans-based tourism marketing organization is suddenly blaming repeated violations of COVID-19 safety regulations on Bourbon Street and other areas that serve tourists by accusing locals of being the problem.
In an email to members and colleagues, New Orleans & Company CEO Stephen Perry wrote that residents were behind the latest scenes of “blatant insecure behavior” that prompted Mayor LaToya Cantrell to to impose new controversial rules that will come into force in the last days of the Carnival season.
On Feb. 5, Cantrell announced that bars across the city would be closed Feb. 12-16, in addition to some streets that are usually full of celebrations, to mitigate the continued spread of COVID-19.
Cantrell announces new restrictions on Mardi Gras Covid: bar closures, street barricades
Cantrell and New Orleans & Company have been criticized for encouraging visitors to travel to New Orleans, despite the risks of traveling during a pandemic.
But Perry, whose organization represents locally owned businesses and multinational hotel chains, insists the locals are to blame.
“Our own residents created a dilemma for the government,” the letter states.
Perry also urged city officials, who have been scrutinized for loosely enforcing the rules, to re-examine how to handle code violations and “flagrant” illegal public meetings.
“It wasn’t the small number of responsible tourists we’ve been hosting or most of our citizens and businesses,” Perry said.
Perry also criticized New Orleans’ “youth,” referring specifically to a recent party at Uptown’s Monkey Hill bar, which was attended by crowds of college students.
In recent weeks, an increase in visitors has come down to the city to enjoy the party, although the figures are nowhere near the previous ones.
Despite the message from city officials to “behave like a local” and put on a face covering avoiding crowds, documented images often show people violating warrants and gathering en masse at popular tourist destinations that don’t they tend to attract locals, including Bourbon Street. And last month, an Oklahoma tourist shot a homeless man in the French Quarter.
Some hotels in the city center said last week that they expected to fill rooms with people from outside the city over the next few days, anticipating that they could reach up to 50% or 60% of capacity, despite the cancellation. of parades and other traditional celebrations.
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Hotels are not subject to the same occupancy rules as restaurants or other businesses, except in common areas, such as lobbies and elevators.
Perry, who also fought with the mayor last May over restrictions, called Cantrell’s latest decision “problematic” and said he was concerned about the optics.
“We are concerned that our brand will be affected by the city’s uncomfortable messages,” he wrote. “This is where we are when locals do dumb things and the city’s compliance and rapid response is weak or non-existent in real time.”
Read the full letter here.