A Message from the President/CEO

As the tourism industry steadily moves forward with a flurry of announcements of new openings of attractions and businesses over the past year, and with the area recovering from a variety of obstacles, the trajectory remains steadfast with the vision of promise for Southwest Louisiana. Revisiting 2021, the state of the tourism industry in Southwest Louisiana is indelibly tied to the events of 2020 from the pandemic and the cavalcade of devastating storms that touched the southwest corner of the state. The good news is that healthy conversations are taking place with a myriad of partners from governmental entities to private business leaders and the public at large to reimagine the future for Southwest Louisiana. These conversations include quality of life initiatives and tourism product enhancements that will attract future visitation in a host of creative ways.

Considering the rebuilding that many restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, and places of business undertook in 2021, the Visit Lake Charles Welcome Center was no exception to the widespread destruction that Southwest Louisiana strived to overcome last year. We marched right alongside others in Southwest Louisiana in collective efforts to restore brick-andmortar infrastructure for visitors and residents alike. Despite recovering from natural disasters and a workforce shortage that largely impacted the tourism sector, later in 2021, visitors flocked to the area at the highest rate in history.

Occupancy rate in Calcasieu Parish reached new alltime highs during 2021. January and February were slower months, but the spring brought leisure travelers back in force with occupancy rates in excess of 75% for several months and an average occupancy rate

of 67.5% for 2021, 35% higher than 2020 and slightly higher that the 61% achieved in 2019, which remains the baseline for growth. The same trend holds true for average daily rate from $90 in 2020 to $113 for 2021. The demand for rooms follows the occupancy numbers with a u-shaped curve from 2019 to 2021. With the rise in occupancy and demand from 2019 to 2021, the RevPAR (revenue per available room) went from an average of $50 per available room to an average of $76 in 2021.

Despite face-to-face events beginning later in 2021, many sporting events were back in full swing during the first quarter. Southwest Louisiana had several successes hosting tournaments including the LHSAA Girls’ Basketball Semifinals, LHSAA Boys’ Basketball Championships, LHSAA Softball Championships, LHSAA Baseball Championships, a variety of five New Balance Future Stars Series tournaments, the Jennie Finch World Series, five 2D Sports Showcase events, 16 USSSA Youth Baseball events, the LHSAA Swim state championships, and the LSU-E/Lake Charles New Year’s Classic Women’s Basketball Tournament. It was uplifting for everyone in the industry to see the meetings and conventions sector return including the Rendezvous South Conference, as well as the World LNG & Gas Series: Americas Summit & Exhibition.

While we are swiftly moving through 2022, it is clear that everyone in Southwest Louisiana pulled together and was focused on recovery in 2021. We have come a long way as a destination, and the team at Visit Lake Charles is poised to promote the array of future offerings that are underway in Southwest Louisiana.

Kyle Edmiston, CDME

President/CEO