The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) are in touch with Mayor Landrieu and city officials on the latest information about Tropical Storm Isaac. Mark Romig and Kelly Schulz attended a press conference at City Hall this afternoon, where the Mayor's message was: "be prepared and stay on alert" as conditions develop.

As of Sunday afternoon, no mandatory evacuation has been called. Should the storm stay on its current track to make landfall along the Mississippi coast, an evacuation of the city of New Orleans would NOT be called. However, that may change if necessary.

As of Sunday at 3 p.m. central, based on the current track, the forecast calls for 12-16 inches of rain, with tropical storm force winds beginning Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Visitors are encouraged to call their airlines for any flight schedule changes. The airport is currently open, but airlines may choose to stop flights once winds reach 40 mph.

At this time, it is business as usual for New Orleans hotels, restaurants and attractions. Tourism and city officials are prepared to respond to any scenario that we may face. The Corps of Engineers reported that the city's levees and flood protection systems are ready and are stronger than ever before.

The official source for storm updates will be the New Orleans CVB website www.neworleanscvb.com and the New Orleans CVB's facebook page,www.Facebook.com/neworleanscvb. We are updating those sites with the latest information and links to important websites, social media channels and official forecasts. More details to come Monday morning.

Our next update will be mid-day Monday unless conditions warrant.

Sincerely,
Stephen Perry, President and CEO, New Orleans CVB
Mark Romig, President and CEO, NOTMC