Louisiana officials promoting the state in western Canada

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana tourism officials have headed to western Canada, trying to draw attention to their state as a travel destination.

The trip began Tuesday and continues through Thursday, with promotional events in Vancouver and Calgary. A nine-person delegation including leaders from the Louisiana Office of Tourism is meeting with tour operators, travel agents and writers.

Also on the trip are tourism officials from Lafayette, Shreveport, Jefferson Parish and New Orleans. Lafayette chef Ryan Trahan is among the group’s members and will hold cooking demonstrations using Louisiana seafood.

The travel plans were announced by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s office. The lieutenant governor oversees statewide tourism efforts.

Nungesser’s office says Canada regularly ranks as the state’s top international tourism market, accounting for 40 per cent of Louisiana’s international visitors.