The University of New Orleans is holding its annual Economic Outlook summit today, with Latter and Blum Realtors. This year’s review will focus on how one project in New Orleans is affecting the regional economy.
Past Economic Outlook sessions have presented overall trends for residential and commercial real estate.
This year, panelists will be assessing the widespread economic impact that’s expected from the opening of the Veterans Affairs hospital in early 2016. And then, the adjacent state hospital in lower Mid-City.
John Williams is dean of the UNO College of Business Administration, and is director of the Hospitality Research Center and Division of Economic Research. He says the hospitals will create a large and varied workforce.
“When you look at the peripheral services that a health care institution supplies, you’re really talking about many different levels," he said. "It’s almost taking a mini-city and all the positions, from maintenance to security to food services, all of those other positions. It’s tremendous when you look at the breadth of that.”
Williams says New Orleans will also be getting more medical visitors and their families — and they will need more hotel rooms. He expects the traditional tourism industry to continue growing.