Words from Wooden - November 2015

Dear Member,

As the leaves around Los Angeles change color in the crisp November air, the most wonderful time of the year is right around the corner. We all cherish the upcoming holidays as we look forward to celebrating with friends and family while creating treasured memories.

Thanksgiving is of course a time to reflect on everything we have to be thankful for. At L.A. Tourism, we are not only thankful for the millions of visitors from around the globe, but for all of you – our members – who roll out the red carpet for our guests and ensure they have a fantastic L.A. experience. Thank you for being our partners and making Los Angeles one of the world’s premier travel destinations.

I’d like to share with you the fantastic results of our industry for the month of September. More than $19.6 billion in Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) was collected for the City’s General Fund, a 5.2% increase above the projected amount. In fact, this figure is 42.4% higher than the same period last year. The first quarter of our current fiscal year was greater than 2014’s first quarter by 20.6%!

If you missed last month’s Member Mixer, be sure to join us Thursday, December 3 at Spice Affair in Beverly Hills for some cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It’s a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow industry peers one last time before we welcome a new year. Be sure to RSVP in the “What’s Coming” section of the newsletter.

These are just a few of the many updates on L.A. Tourism and our industry that we’re sharing with you in this month’s newsletter. As always, we will be here, working on behalf of all of our members and partners to keep the world coming to Los Angeles.

I’d like to close this month’s newsletter with a moment of reflection for our brothers and sisters around the world as we are all saddened by the senseless attacks that have occurred in the last few weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by these tragedies.

With best wishes,
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Ernest Wooden Jr.
President and CEO
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board