Sugar Bowl weekend events expected to pour $200 million into city of New Orleans Sugar Bowl weekend events expected to pour $200 million into city of New Orleans, boosting tourism and local business sales Sugar Bowl weekend events expected to pour $200 million into city of New Orleans, boosting tourism and local business sales Sugar Bowl weekend events expected to pour $200 million into city of New Orleans, boosting tourism and local business sales It’s shaping up to be a winning weekend for the city as we gear up for the 90th anniversary of the Sugar Bowl. Not only are we hosting thousands of University of Washington Huskies and University of Texas Longhorn fans for the New Year’s Day game, it’ll be a win for New Orleans tourism as well. News Orleans and Company projects the weekend’s events to generate roughly $200 million in revenue, giving the city a swift kick into the new year. Hotels, restaurants and bars in New Orleans, specifically in the downtown area are seeing high foot traffic and a boost in sales days ahead of Sunday’s parade and Monday’s big game. The Texas Longhorns are being hosted by the Marriot Hotel and the Huskies are staying at the Hilton Riverside. Those two hotels, in addition to New Orleans’ 26,000 hotels within two miles of the Superdome, are nearly, if not already, sold out. Kelly Schulz with New Orleans and Company says she even believes many of these hotels will be sold out before Sunday and Monday. “Sugar Bowl weekend is here, the fans are here, and we are ready to welcome everyone,” Schulz said. “We are seeing very large crowds coming from both Washington and Texas. The game is sold out, and our hotels are at 95 percent occupancy over the weekend. We are seeing very large crowds that are out shopping, enjoying our restaurants and culture.” There are also many people who are coming to town and staying with relatives and friends, but also spending their dollars with local bars and restaurants. A game of this magnitude also puts the city in the national spotlight.
