The music, décor and retail sales aren't the only trappings of the holiday season taking place ever earlier. Last year and this year, New Orleans tourism promoters have intensified their efforts to pitch the city as a holiday destination with an advertising campaign starting just before Halloween.
"We're out in the market a little bit earlier to help spur the decision-making by people," who might drive to New Orleans, said Mark Romig, president of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation.