New Iberia is a “must-visit” recommendation, along with Shadows-on-the-Teche, McIlhenny Tabasco Co., Jungle Gardens and Bird City, Le Rosier, Victor’s Cafeteria, Clementine’s and the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival in the newly released travel book by Patricia Schultz, “1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.”

“This is a very good thing for New Iberia, Iberia Parish and all of these attractions,” said Fran Thibodeaux, executive director of the Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, during a recent meeting of the board of commissioners.

The new publication also includes St. Martinville’s Cultural Heritage Center, which houses the African and Acadian Museum. Other St. Martin Parish attractions mentioned in the guide are Breaux Bridge’s Caf/ Des Amis & Maison and Mulate’s Restaurant.

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Thibodeaux said this is the second such book published by Schultz. Her first book, “1,000 Places to Visit Before You Die,” has spent 150 weeks and counting on The New York Times’ bestsellers list.

Both books are organized by region, and subject-specific indices in the back sort the books by interest — wilderness, great dining, best beaches, world-class museums, sports and adventures, road trips and more. There’s also an index that breaks out the best destinations for families with children. Following each entry is the nuts and bolts: addresses, Web sites, phone numbers, costs, best times to visit.

In addition to her two books, Schultz also is the executive producer of the Travel Channel’s reality show of the same name.

Online travelers can access the Web site 1000beforeyoudie.com.

Sandy Davis, who heads up the commission’s Attractions Association, said local tourist-related businesses appear to be recovering from a drop in attendance last month.

“I think the price of fuel kept travel down in May, but the numbers are up a little this month,” she said, adding that all the area attractions are reporting “pretty much the same traffic flow.”

“We seem to be getting a lot of locals at the attractions, but there are still some French and Canadian visitors,” Davis said. “We’re not getting the school buses any more since the summer’s started.”

Thibodeaux also endorsed a recommendation made recently by Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel concerning the creation of a one-stop shop for the movie and video game industry in Acadiana.

Thibodeaux agreed with the sentiments of Gerald Breaux, her counterpart in Lafayette, who said the center will provide “more coordinated face time with the entertainment powers that be” and would, at the very least, promote location availability.

The Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau is putting up $15,000 this year for the initiative.