The Saints-Falcons rivalry is bringing fans to New Orleans ahead of Monday’s game, boosting local businesses and contributing to the city’s tourism economy.
Businesses, especially those selling specialty shirts tied to the rivalry, are seeing increased spending from Falcons fans. Some managers say the influx of visitors is enough to sustain them during slower months.
Fleurty Girl, a local shop, is capitalizing on the rivalry with shirts poking fun at Falcons fans. Popular designs include “He’s a ten but he’s a Falcons fan,” “New Orleans versus everybody, especially Atlanta,” and “DOMEcoming Queen.”
“DOMEcoming Queen is her newest shirt that she just printed. It’s absolutely stunning. It is celebrating an anniversary of that game when we returned home during a most trivial time in New Orleans past,” the shop’s manager said.
The manager also emphasized the importance of tourism dollars from nearby states. “They are the ones that are providing tourism dollars because they are neighboring state. So a lot of our neighboring states that’s Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, they’re coming in Panhandle, Florida, they come to New Orleans, and we’re benefiting off of their money,” she said.
Tourism leaders noted that New Orleans welcomed 19.46 million visitors in 2025, nearly surpassing the 2019 record of 19.75 million. Visitors spent nearly $10 billion in 2025, with football games, including the Super Bowl, playing a significant role.
“Atlanta travels well as we do when we play in Atlanta. So it’s a big draw for Atlanta folks as well. And we’re looking at strong occupancy numbers for Monday night,” a tourism leader said.
“I think it’s going to be a big influx. But it’s going to be a lot of fun and revelry,” the leader added.
READ MORE:Saints-Falcons rivalry boosts New Orleans businesses and tourism
