Accomplishments
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
List of Services
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TOURISMList Item 1
- Opened Louisiana's doors to as many as 53 million visitors in one year
- Engineered five consecutive years of record-breaking tourism numbers until the pandemic turned the table
- Led a tourism effort that generated over $1.8 billion in state and local taxes saving every Louisiana taxpayer over $1,100 annually
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KEEP LOUISIANA BEAUTIFULList Item 3
- Launched a statewide anti-litter campaign and in year one gained support from 8,476 volunteers who dedicated over 40,000 hours to removal of 293 tons of litter
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OUTREACHList Item 4
- Showcased Louisiana to the world on for two consecutive years on Thanksgiving Day featuring Louisiana's "Celebration Gator" and garnering a reach of 873 million people at an ad value of $8.1 million in earned media
- Captained Louisiana's Feed Your Soul riverboat float through the streets of Pasadena for a second consecutive year as Louisiana was one of only two states featured in The Tournament of Roses parade
- Garnered 6.1 billion total impressions and approximately $24.1 million in earned media this year for promoting Louisiana at the Rose parade
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STATE PARKS
- Raised attendance to state parks to their highest levels, welcoming over 1.3 million visitors in the last year
- Introduced safari-style, 4-person tenting with queen size bedding to three state parks to create "glamping" getaways
- Launched a new reservation system to streamline online booking and enhance customer service at state parks Upgraded campsites and cabins at 21 state parks and 16 historic sites
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MUSEUMS AND EDUCATION
- Protected state museums from being shuttered saving over $1.2 million on restructuring
- Encouraged school leaders to promote our history and culture by taking students on exploratory field trips through Louisiana State Museums, resulting in a 420% increase in school group and student attendance at Louisiana State Museums last year
- Oversaw Homework Louisiana, an online after school tutoring service for grades kindergarten through basic college level helping over 575,000 students learn their assignments
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser
pledged to open Louisiana's doors to the world. He delivered on his promise in record- breaking style. The Lt. Governor helped Louisiana welcome as many as 53 million guests in one year. He showcased our culture and history to the world and paraded us before millions at Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade. The Lt. Governor restructured spending at state parks and museums and saved them from being shuttered by legislative slashing. Today, both the parks and the arts are experiencing a renaissance and thriving under his leadership. With so much going so right, there's no reason for a change.
Award-Winning Office
List of Services
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2016List Item 1
- State Tourism Office of the Year by the Southeast Tourism Society (STS) awarded to Louisiana Office of Tourism.
- Best Travel Website Mercury Award for LouisianaTravel.com presented by the National Council of State Tourism Directors and the U.S. Travel Association.
- Best Social Media Campaign Mercury Award presented by the National Council of State Tourism Directors and the U.S. Travel Association for the Louisiana Office of Tourism.
- Judges' Choice for Best Overall Campaign Mercury Award for Louisiana Office of Tourism.
- John G. Lorenz Award for The State Library for Public Library Statistics by The Institute of Museum and Library.
- Francis Keppel Award for the The State Library from The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
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2017List Item 2
- Gold Adrian Award from the HSMAI (The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International) for digital marketing excellence for its "Destination Recipe Video Series" by Louisiana Office of Tourism. The Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition, recognizes best practices in sales and marketing for the hospitality industry.
- The State Historic Preservation Office was co-recipient of the 2017 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Environmental Excellence Award for Programmatic Agreements (PA), along with DOTD, the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation and Mead & Hunt (consultant's hired by DOTD).
- #1 in the nation per National Park Service, for the highest number of approved Part 3 Federal Tax Credit applications for 2017.
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2018List Item 3
- Gold Adrian Award for Advertising Excellence by the from the HSMAI (The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International) surrounding the Louisiana: Feed Your Soul advertising campaign awarded to Louisiana Office of Tourism. Louisiana was among 18 winners worldwide and three in the United States.
- #2 in the nation per National Park Service, for the number of approved Part 3 Federal Tax Credit applications by the Office of Cultural Development.
- Award of Merit received by The Division of Archaeology from the Society for Historical Archaeology as a reflection of the Division's efforts on cultural resources during the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.
- Top 10 Book Festivals nationally, and among "25 Best Literary Festivals in the United States" by Vacationidea: Dream Vacation Magazine for the State Library's annual Louisiana Book Festival.
- John G. Lorenz Award for The State Library for Public Library Statistics by The Institute of Museum and Library (received biennially every year this award was created).
- Francis Keppel Award for the State Library from The Institute of Museum and Library Services.
- 2017 Lynda Carlberg Award received by The State Library Assistant Secretary, Rebecca Hamilton for outstanding contributions to Louisiana Libraries by Libraries Southwest.
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2019List Item 4
- Best of Campaigns "ADDY" Award for "Today You're In Louisiana" awarded to the Louisiana Officie of Tourism by the American Advertising Federation Award.
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2020
- Gold Adrian Award for Advertising Excellence nomination by the from the HSMAI (The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International) surrounding the Louisiana Office of Tourism's social media campaign featuring Grammy and Dove multiple award winner Lauren Daigle.
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2021
- "Wanderlust" awarded Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the "Louisiana Sunshine Plan" a bronze award at the 2021 Wanderlust Travel Awards ceremony. Louisiana Office of Tourism has been named by a British travel magazine as one of the world's best campaigns responses to the pandemic.
- The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Bronze Adrian Award in Recovery Marketing for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- American Advertising Federation Silver ADDY for Macy's Celebration Gator Billboard Campaign.
- The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Silver Adrian Award in PR - Online Feature Article Consumer for AP's announcement of the Louisiana
- The Civil Rights Trail was launched.
- American Advertising Federation Silver ADDY for Interface & Navigation for the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail website.
- American Advertising Federation Silver ADDY for User Experience for the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail website.
- American Advertising Federation Silver ADDY for Consumer Websites for the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail.
- American Advertising Federation Gold ADDY for Branded Content & Entertainment for Making Rights Real, Louisiana Civil Rights Trail.
- American Advertising Federation Gold ADDY for Newspaper Campaign for "Movement" Louisiana Civil Rights Trail.
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2022
- Tournament of Roses Parade Wrigley Legacy Award for the most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design, and entertainment in the first ever Louisiana Tournament of Roses Parade Float 2022.
- ESTO Mercury Award in the Video, Film or Podcast Series category for LOT’s social video series “Tiny Trips.”
- Best Niche Marketing Awards for its Louisiana Civil Rights Trail Campaign from the 2022 STS Shining Example Awards for Louisiana Office of Tourism.