Good times for New Orleans tourism are rolling once again

Last year, 7.6 million visited, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau says, up from 3.7 million in 2006 and 7.1 million in 2007. Before Katrina, in 2004, a record 10.1 million visitors showed up. This year looks good: Mardi Gras attendance reached pre-Katrina levels of about 1 million, the visitors bureau says.

July hotel occupancy in the city's business district and tourist areas was 65.7%, up 7.7% from last July, Smith Travel Research reports. "That's a great number," says Jan Freitag, a Smith vice president. "Occupancy over 60% is definitely healthy in today's economy."

Among the USA's top 25 markets, only New Orleans reported increases in occupancy in July. Most hotels have reopened. (Renovation of the 1,200-room Hyatt is stalled because of financing problems, the visitors bureau says.)

Before Katrina, the city had 130 hotels with 25,000 rooms, Freitag says. Now it has 119 with 22,300 rooms, including just-reopened, 504-room The Roosevelt (a Fairmont when Katrina hit). The historic Roosevelt, dating to 1923, is home of the Sazerac Bar.