NEW ORLEANS -- Four years after being KOd by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is rebounding as a tourist mecca.

Last year, the city hosted 7.6 million visitors, according to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

That was up from 3.7 million in 2006 and 7.1 million in 2007.

The year before Hurricane Katrina hit -- at the end of August 2005, a record 10.1 million people visited the city.

And 2009, despite the economy, has turned out to be a decent year, with Mardi Gras attendance reaching pre-Katrina levels of about 1 million, the visitors bureau says.

For decades, New Orleans has been a major motorcoach destination.

When Katrina hit, the city was the 5th most-popular motorcoach destination in the U.S., according to the National Motorcoach Network, which annually surveys its members on the top motorcoach destinations.

Last year, the network ranked New Orleans as the 13th most-popular motorcoach destination of the past 25 years, with the lower ranking clearly reflecting the impact of Katrina.

July hotel occupancy in the citys business district and tourist areas was 65.7 percent, up 7.7 percent from last July, according to Smith Travel Research.

Occupancy above 60 percent is considered fairly healthy in today's economy.

Among the top 25 U.S. markets, only New Orleans reported increases in occupancy in July.

Most of the citys hotels have reopened. The lone major exception is the Hyatt, where renovation of the 1,200-room property reportedly is stalled because of financing problems.

Before Katrina, the city had 130 hotels with 25,000 rooms. Now it has 119 hotels with 22,300 rooms, including The Roosevelt, a just-reopened, 504-room luxury hotel that was a Fairmont when Katrina hit. The historic Roosevelt, which dates to 1923, is home of the Sazerac Bar.

Although there reportedly are some hotel-room deals in New Orleans, travel websites indicate rates are holding up well compared with other destination cities.

Most of New Orleans legendary dining spots, including Brennan's, are open. The visitors bureau says the city has more than 1,000 eateries, 200 more than when Katrina hit.

"The tourism industry is a bright spot," says a visitors bureau spokesman.

Other positive signs:

The sugary beignets at famous Café Du Monde are cheap ($2 for three).

The French Quarter is "cleaner than its ever been" thanks to sweepers and a lemon-scented liquid now used to scour it.

Some hotels continue to offer volunteerism packages, though tourism officials arent eager to keep reminding tourists of Katrina.