Stephen Perry Orleans Quotations

From a multibillion-dollar tourism perspective here in the city, this is one of the most powerful national signals that we can have, because it is the first major sporting commitment since Katrina. It is an event that attracts thousands of people, it has exposure all over the world, and it puts a highlight that weekend on New Orleans as a destination.

We just want to make sure that everything is right as people come back, ... You want them to have the full New Orleans experience.

When you see estimates of New Orleans not getting power back or water flowing for six or eight months, that is not the part of the city where tourists go.

We are delighted that Tom Benson decided to return to New Orleans and play the 2006 season in the Superdome. This was a very positive step in our rebuilding efforts and has already provided an enormous boost to the spirits of our community. Our group will work closely with the Saints to provide support at all levels -- selling suites and season tickets, identifying creative sponsorship arrangements, and generally working as hard as we can to help them succeed here.