Economic Effects of Mardi Gras
Economic Effects of Mardi Gras
Written by: Nick K.
Mardi Gras is a celebration before the fasting of Lent. It is celebrated for 12 days. This years main day of celebration is on Febuary, 28th. It is a christian celebration however it is not only celebrated for religion purposes. Although it is not a true American holiday or listed as one of our nation's holidays many deeply rooted french cities take pride in Mardi Gras and celebrate it every year.
It has significance all across the world; however the one city it is most known in is New Orleans. The effect of the celebration on New Orleans is huge. Due to the scarce amount of celebrations in the U.S. New orleans attracts nearly 1.5 million people a year. Last year alone 3.5 times New Orleans populations was at the festivities. New Orleans spends on average 3.33 million dollars a year. They see a return on the investment of 4.5 dollars per dollar they spend. The benefit for hotels in New Orleans area is 56 million dollars in the 12 days.
Suppliers of the world famous beads might be the happiest of all. They produce and ship nearly 25 million pounds of beads. Most of the beads are imported from China. This does not improve the GDP of the U.S.A. Although this is not impacting the economy but in New Orleans it is positively affected all week. 1.5 million cups are sold, 2.5 million spanish coins are thrown. Everything in related to Mardi Gras is go big or go home. 
The graph on the right shows spending by tourists as well as the amount of tourist. Before Katrina in 2005 New Orleans was at an all time high tourists. This is mainly because of the millions that Mardi Gras attracts. In 2011 nearly 20% of tourists for the whole year were just because of Mardi Gras. This number will grow in the future and only keep improving the economy of New Orleans as well as attracting more and more tourists.
Works Cited
"Beyond Recovery: New Orleans Boasts as a Top Destination for Tourists." TMG Insights - The TMG Consulting Blog. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
"Mardi Gras." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
Rhodes, Margaret. "Mardi Gras Mambo." Fast Company. N.p., 30 July 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
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