Louisiana Office of Tourism

What Louisiana Office of Tourism does

The Louisiana Office of Tourism is a state government agency that serves as the official travel authority for the state of Louisiana. It operates under the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism and falls under the oversight of the Office of the Lt. Governor, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency operates the Explore Louisiana brand, anchored by explorelouisiana.com, a web-based content management platform that delivers tourism information across the main website, specialized microsites (Louisiana Byways, Louisiana Birding, Travel Trade portal, Press Room), and international landing pages via VisitTheUSA in 13 countries. The agency's stated mission is to promote Louisiana as a travel destination to domestic and international tourists and to support tourism industry partners statewide.

The agency's core products include the Explore Louisiana website, an annual Louisiana Official Travel Guide (print and digital), and a portfolio of themed digital trails covering culinary, music, film, civil rights, African American heritage, golf, birding, paddling, scenic byways, and craft beverages. Distribution is multi-channel: the main website, social media (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram), a #OnlyLouisiana user-generated content hub, an email newsletter, and a dedicated Travel Trade portal for tour operators and travel agents. The agency partners with VisitTheUSA for international distribution, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area for outdoor content, and various state-level entities for institutional alignment.

The business model is public-sector tourism promotion rather than commercial revenue generation. All traveler-facing information is provided free of charge, and the agency is funded through the state government budget. There is no disclosed revenue, no private funding, no headcount figure, and no subscription or transaction pricing. The customers are two distinct groups: (1) domestic and international tourists seeking Louisiana travel information across leisure, culinary, cultural, and outdoor segments; and (2) tourism industry partners (hotels, restaurants, attractions, event organizers) who use the platform for listing and promotional visibility. Strategic intent is to grow inbound visitation and tourism spending through destination marketing, content depth, and international reach rather than through commercial monetization.

Name

Louisiana Office of Tourism

Legal name

Louisiana Office of Tourism

Website

https://louisianatravel.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Louisiana Office of Tourism is the official state government travel authority that promotes Louisiana as a destination to domestic and international tourists through the Explore Louisiana website, themed trails, social media, and a free annual travel guide, while supporting tourism industry partners statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing & Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Historical Sites (71212), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism promotion agency
• Travel information portal
• Visitor information services
• State tourism marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: State-funded tourism promotion agency under the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Operates as a public service organization providing free travel information to visitors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Louisiana Office of Tourism is the official state travel authority operating ExploreLouisiana.com, providing free comprehensive travel information and planning resources for visitors to Louisiana. The agency distributes an annual Official Travel Guide (print and digital), maintains multiple themed tourism sub-platforms (heritage trails, scenic byways, birding, paddling, film, music, culinary, golf, libations), and delivers tourism promotion through social media and international landing pages on VisitTheUSA across 13 countries.

Product overview

Louisiana Office of Tourism operates ExploreLouisiana.com as a comprehensive tourism information platform featuring a centralized website with multiple themed sub-platforms and trails. The core offering includes the main travel authority website supplemented by specialized digital trails covering civil rights heritage, African American heritage, scenic byways, birding, paddling, film locations, golf, music, and craft beverages. The organization also distributes an annual Louisiana Official Travel Guide (print and digital) and maintains a Social Hub for social media engagement. All products serve the unified purpose of promoting Louisiana as a travel destination while providing practical planning resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Louisiana Website

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• VisitTheUSAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVisitTheUSA is a GTM partnership providing international exposure for Louisiana tourism. The platform features dedicated Louisiana landing pages across 13 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada (English and French), China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and United Kingdom.
• Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & TourismflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent state government agency overseeing the Louisiana Office of Tourism. Provides institutional support and alignment with broader state tourism and cultural objectives.
• Office of the Lt. Governor of LouisianaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOversight authority for the Louisiana Office of Tourism, providing executive leadership and government-level support for state tourism initiatives.
• Destinations InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association membership providing professional development, resources, and networking opportunities for destination marketing organizations.
• Atchafalaya National Heritage AreaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative content partnership promoting outdoor experiences in the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana's largest river swamp.
• Louisiana Birding (birdinglouisiana.com)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated birding tourism platform highlighting Louisiana's diverse avian habitats and birdwatching opportunities, integrated into the Explore Louisiana ecosystem.
• Louisiana Byways (louisianabyways.com)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated scenic byways platform promoting Louisiana's scenic drives and road trip experiences, with content integration from Explore Louisiana.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Visit Florida: Florida's official state tourism DMO operating with a similar public-private destination marketing structure, international outreach, and themed content focus.
• Destination Canada: Canada's national tourism agency with international marketing campaigns and themed content. Functions as a comparable national-scale DMO with similar international market prioritization.
• Visit California: California's official state tourism marketing organization with a comparable non-profit DMO model, multi-channel international promotion, and themed content verticals. The closest functional and structural peer given scale and prominence.
• New Orleans & Company: The official DMO for New Orleans, Louisiana's largest tourism market. Operates with overlapping culinary, music, and cultural tourism focus and directly complements the state's promotional efforts.
• Choose Chicago: Chicago's official city tourism DMO with comparable content marketing approach, international promotion efforts, and themed visitor guides structurally analogous to a state tourism portal.
• I LOVE NY: New York State's official tourism brand under Empire State Development, a long-running state DMO with international reach and themed visitor guides comparable in scope to Louisiana's.
• Brand USA: The national destination marketing organization for the United States. Louisiana Office of Tourism is a content partner via VisitTheUSA, giving it direct structural and strategic overlap as a peer.
• Visit Denver: Denver's official city DMO providing visitor information, event promotion, and themed content marketing that mirrors the structural and operational model of a state tourism portal.
• Texas Tourism: Texas's official state travel office under the Office of the Governor's Economic Development and Tourism division, with analogous state-government DMO structure and multi-channel marketing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Tourism Australia: Australia's national tourism organization and one of the most established DMOs globally, providing a benchmark for international destination marketing strategy at national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@explorelouisiana
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExploreLouisiana
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore.louisiana
• Pinterestpinterest.com/explorelouisiana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louisiana-office-of-tourism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Louisiana Office of Tourism