[StBernard] Louisiana's rise in the global cultural economy

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana's rise in the global cultural economy
A column by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco 

Food, music and a special way of life make Louisiana a great place to call home and provide an important foundation for our state's economy.

In recent years we have taken unique pieces of our culture and used them to position Louisiana as a leader of the global cultural economy. With the world as our stage, we're promoting the sites, sounds and tastes of Louisiana to attract visitors and new investments.

A strong creative economy is an important component in our efforts to attract new businesses. It builds on the quality of life opportunities that make our state an interesting place to live.

When I became your lieutenant governor, I believed in our potential. I knew that if we started selling Louisiana, we would create new opportunities for our people. During my two terms in office, we achieved an unprecedented expansion of our tourism industry. We launched a global marketing effort that turned tourism into a nine billion dollar industr! y. It became Louisiana's greatest economic success story.

Today we know what tourism means to Louisiana. It creates jobs, generates tax revenue and spending and reminds the world of what Louisiana has to offer. The storms of 2005 cast a strong blow to this industry. We are working hard to help this industry bounce back. I know that the staff of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism and Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu are reminding potential visitors that Louisiana is open for business.

To bolster our efforts, I recently signed Act 30, lifting the cap on promotion and tourism spending. This enables us to use a greater portion of tax revenue generated from tourism to grow this sector of our economy.

Of course, our cultural economy is about so more than tourism. Just look at our film industry. We told Hollywood that Louisiana was ready for its close up and cameras now roll in every corner of our state. Thanks to tax credits, w! orkforce training and major incentives, our LA is a tough competitor f or the other L.A. 

We can find similar success in other areas of art and culture. Our music industry may very well be Louisiana's next big cultural economic hit. Whether country, gospel, zydeco, jazz, or any of countless genres with deep Louisiana roots, music is a special part of what makes our great state unique and our cultural economy hum. By encouraging Louisiana musicians, growing our local recording and publishing industry and attracting new growth, our state can emerge as a new center for music production. My latest appointees to the Louisiana Music Commission bring a new energy to our work in this area.


>From entertainment to tourism, aggressive promotion and smart government policy are just part of our economic equation. The talents of our people and the spirit of our way of life are the lagniappe that shape Louisiana's true potential.


###

The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People
www.louisianahelp.org