Louisiana Travel Beyond New Orleans, From Bayou to Byway | Live From IPW 2026

Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Louisiana Office of Tourism assistant secretary Doug Bourgeois⁠ sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen for one of our most flavorful travel industry interviews yet: a case for Louisiana travel well beyond New Orleans, from bayou to byway.

A Thibodaux native who has spent 26 years in state tourism, Doug leads a Louisiana that finally returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, welcoming 45 million visitors and roughly 19 billion dollars in spending. New Orleans alone drew 19 million, even as Canada, the state's top international market, pulled back sharply.

In this episode, Doug and Billie discuss:

Why Cajun and Creole cooking is about flavor rather than heat, and why nobody makes gumbo better than your mama

How Louisiana travel spans distinct regions, from Mississippi Delta greens up north to the Cajun and Creole melting pot down south

The Gas Station Eats trail and the arrival of Michelin in the American South, including two two-star restaurants in New Orleans

The Year of Music that set the stage, celebrating Louisiana as a birthplace of jazz, zydeco, and Cajun blues, and the 2026 Year of Outdoors that follows it, from swamp tours and outdoor kitchens to the Mississippi flyway and two national parks

How the state is working to win back a softer Canadian market and lean into joy as a strategy

The ⁠Mississippi River Parkway Commission⁠ and the case for the river as a single 10-state destination

Beyond New Orleans, the scenic byways, river architecture, and small-town Americana that reward a longer trip

This is one in a series of travel industry interviews and tourism experts interviews recorded live at IPW 2026, part of View From Afar's ongoing look at travel trends 2026, destination management, and the travel storytelling that turns a state into a journey. For every reason to plan Louisiana travel past Bourbon Street and deep into the heart of Cajun country, it is a front-row conversation with one of the hospitality industry leaders shaping the future of travel.

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