Tourism needs more cultural diversity, many in industry say

By Mary LaCoste
Contributing Writer

Want to take a regularly scheduled music tour of New Orleans? Or a tour focusing on local Black history? Or hear a tour guide speak about the Vietnamese village on the Chef Menteur Highway? Visitors who travel here can easily learn about European cultural influences or be entertained by nightly ghost tours, but the impressions they receive may not accurately reflect the wonderfully diverse mixture that is New Orleans.

There is a shortage of licensed tour guides who can speak a second language or guides who are members of minority groups. There are African Americans who lead tour groups but they are few in number, less than 10 percent of local guides. Many in the tour industry feel that the many hurdles and expenses of obtaining a license are major deterrents to developing a more diverse pool of tour guides.

New city regulations have added to the difficulties. Before June it was easier to become a tour guide. There was a written test, a local background and drug check, followed by a $20 fee paid to a clerk at the Taxicab Bureau’s City Hall office. Now applicants must, in addition, go to the airport for a $50 fingerprinting appointment, a federal background assessment, pay other fees and make two to three visits to City Hall. Costs can add up to $150. Penalties for guiding without a license are severe and can include jail time.

A new group, New Orleans Professional Tour Guides and Operators United (NOPTGOU), hopes to review this and other problems. Since they are the front line of tourism and directly deal with the people who choose the Crescent City as their vacation destination, the group aims to bring its suggestions to the attention of civic and city leaders.

The group is seeking an appointment with Mayor Mitch Landrieu in hopes of making its voice heard in a meaningful way. Organizations of volunteer and professional guides have met with city officials many times in the past months, but their words have been ignored. Frustrated, some guides expressed the hope that the newer organization will be more effective since it includes the membership of operators as well as guides.

A recent meeting of NOPTGOU was attended by four tour operators and more than a dozen guides. The organization is the brainchild of Robert Florence, an author, activist and tour operator. He suggested the group take action to avoid “a downward spiral” of tourism leading to a decline in the quality of experiences offered to families, vacationers and corporate groups.

Creative ideas and tour-related problems were brought to light. It was decided that there would be no officers or dues, but that together they could pursue common goals for the benefit of tourism in the Crescent City. Professionals who deal with the visiting public should, for example, help determine how the city is presented in advertising. Discussed were the feasibility of meeting with the leadership of the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corp­oration and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Guides cited the very real problems they experience with renewing licenses. They noted that volunteer guides are dropping out because of the cost and inconvenience. Tour operators gave examples of how hard it is to find guides who speak certain foreign languages. They fear the city may be losing groups of German, Scandinavian and Japanese visitors.

Members volunteered to write letters and request public documents regarding arbitrary rules that affect public safety and access. The need for successful music tours was noted. Public records will be requested by two members regarding the status of a group called “Free Tours by Foot” that has appeared in New Orleans and has been giving tours in other cities. The quality of these ventures has been questioned.

The meeting closed with tasks assigned and guides and operators agreeing that more public attention needs to be given to the tour professionals who really care about the future of the “City That Care Forgot” and want it to be presented to the public in a way that recognizes the many diverse cultural roots that make the city a glorious place to visit . . . and to live.

This article was originally published in the March 19, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper