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How did Hurricane Katrina affect tourism?

How did Hurricane Katrina affect tourism?

In the wake of Katrina, the number of tourists shriveled to to 3.7 million, down a startling 63 percent. Spending numbers also shrank, with visitors shelling out 42 percent less in 2006 than in 2004. Tourism in New Orleans was back to square one. Ten years on, the city has seen a renaissance.

How do hurricanes affect tourism in the Caribbean?

In the tourism industry, hurricanes can cause the destruction of infrastructure and coastal degradation, leading to lower the quality of the location as a tourist destination, at least in the short run (Granvorka and Strobl 2013).

Where did hurricane Katrina hit the hardest?

The failures of levees and flood walls during Katrina are considered by experts to be the worst engineering disaster in the history of the United States. By August 31, 2005, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 15 feet (4.6 m) of water.

How far did Hurricane Katrina travel?

The center of Katrina was about 180 statute miles (290 km) from the mouth of the Mississippi River, but tropical storm-force winds extended 230 miles (370 km) from the center of the storm, and hurricane-force winds extended about 105 miles (170 km) away.

How much will the hurricane season 2017 affect tourism in the Caribbean?

Results from the analysis indicate that the hurricane season resulted in a likely loss of 826,100 international overnight visitors to the Caribbean in 2017 – 2.5% of the region’s expected visitor numbers.

How hurricane can affect tourism?

The results suggest that an average hurricane strike causes tourism arrivals to be about 2% lower than they would have been had no strike occurred. For instance, in 2004 Hurricane Ivan is believed to have caused damage in Grenada of around US$1.1 billion, while also resulting in a dramatic reduction in tourism.

How many houses were flooded in Hurricane Katrina?

Katrina damaged more than a million housing units in the Gulf Coast region. About half of these damaged units were located in Louisiana. In New Orleans alone, 134,000 housing units — 70% of all occupied units — suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding.

What was the wind speed of Hurricane Katrina?

Hurricane Katrina made landfall off the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. Because of the ensuing destruction and loss of life, the storm is often considered one of the worst in U.S. history.

What was the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina?

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest in U.S. history and left widespread economic impacts. Oil and gas industry operations were crippled after the storm and coastal communities that rely on tourism suffered from both loss of infrastructure and business and coastal erosion.

What was the population of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina?

Before the storm hit land, a mandatory evacuation was issued for the city of New Orleans, which had a population of more than 480,000 at the time. Tens of thousands of residents fled. But many stayed, particularly among the city’s poorest residents and those who were elderly or lacked access to transportation.

What was the long lead warning for Hurricane Katrina?

Long lead warning times were given by the NWS Offices in Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA as to how high the surge would be. As early as two days before landfall, the NWS Office in Mobile issued a Hurricane Local Statement (at 725pm) that foretold of the historic storm surge values of 8-12 feet well east of Katrina’s center.