Christmas New Orleans Style

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The spirit of Christmas is more joyful than ever this year as New Orleans celebrates being named the AOL.com #2 destination for "10 Best Places in the US to Get into the Holiday Spirit." Holiday visitors should head to New Orleans where they will be treated to authentic local traditions and budget friendly rates.  To spread the word, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) has launched a multimedia holiday marketing campaign inviting visitors of all ages to celebrate Christmas New Orleans-style.  

2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Christmas New Orleans Style, featuring events produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. and sponsored by NOTMC.  More than 100 events and activities are planned throughout the city during the 2010 Christmas New Orleans Style campaign spread over more than a month of festivities from December first through Twelfth Night, January 6th, 2011.

"Christmas New Orleans Style is a magical holiday experience for every age and you can find it only in New Orleans," said Sandra S. Shilstone, President/CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation.  "It's a seasonal blend of creole feasts, jazzy caroling, and holiday shopping."  

Visitors will revel in a month-long celebration of events, including:

• Reveillon Feasts (offered by 35 restaurants)
• Papa Noel hotel rates at over 50 hotels and bed and breakfast establishments
• Christmas Caroling by Candlelight in Jackson Square
• 13 Free Concerts at St. Louis Cathedral (including performances by Grammy winner Irvin Mayfield and renowned jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis)
• Riverboat Cruises
• French Quarter Shopping
• Carriage Rides through the French Quarter
• The Magical Lights of City Park's "Celebration in the Oaks"
• Holiday Cooking Demonstrations at Le Petit Theatre
• Entertaining Historical Characters from the "Louisiana Living History Project" strolling through the French Quarter.

The multi-platform campaign is centered on a series of short YouTube videos featuring New Orleans native Bryan Batt, a veteran stage and Emmy-award-winning TV actor perhaps best known for the role of Salvatore Romano in the AMC hit show Mad Men. In the videos, which can be viewed on a special enhanced landing page devoted to the campaign, Batt encourages viewers to spend the holidays in New Orleans, explaining the many reasons for doing so in a humorous and slightly irreverent tone.

The campaign integrates NOTMC's existing social media presence to extend reach and awareness. The thirty-second TV spot, also featuring Batt, is running in select markets. Print advertising features a QR code that sends smartphone users to a mobile landing page where they can get information and enter a contest for a free trip to New Orleans.

Television commercials and print ads, created by Peter Mayer Advertising, will run in key regional markets including: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Biloxi-Gulfport, Birmingham, Houston, Jackson, Lafayette, Little Rock, Mobile-Pensacola, Monroe-El Dorado, and Shreveport.

To learn more about Christmas New Orleans Style, visit New Orleans' official tourism site, www.NewOrleansOnline.com, where you can order by mail a free brochure detailing Christmas New Orleans Style events, menus and hotel rates. Hotel reservations, including special citywide rates, can also be booked via the website.  For a schedule of events or more information on Christmas New Orleans Style, call (504) 522-5730 or visit www.NewOrleansOnline.com.

About New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation

The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation promotes the city as a leisure tourism destination throughout the year.  Annually, NOTMC's marketing campaigns include strategic print, broadcast, and Internet advertising and public relations.  Web sites: NewOrleansOnline.com; NewOrleansMuseums.com; RadioFreeNeworleans.com.

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About French Quarter Festival, Inc.

French Quarter Festival, Inc., (FQFI) the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which produces the French Quarter Festival, Satchmo SummerFest and Christmas New Orleans Style.  For more information on French Quarter Festival, call 504-522-5730 or visit online at www.fqfi.org.

SOURCE New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation