January 2018 News & Notes

Los Angeles welcomed 48.3 million visitors in 2017, setting a new tourism milestone for the seventh consecutive year. The record figure is 1.0 million visitors higher than 2016’s total, an increase of 2.2%, driven by an all-time high 41.2 million domestic visitors. International visitation overall grew 0.9% to a record 7.1 million visitors, outperforming both its projected forecast and inbound travel to the United States as a whole in 2017. International markets recording significant gains for Los Angeles in 2017 include: China with 1.1 million visitors (6.0% YOY increase); Canada with its highest visitor total ever at 747,000 (5.5% YOY increase); South Korea with 315,000 visitors (6.3% YOY increase, the largest gain among all markets); and India with 121,000 visitors (4.0% YOY increase).

A contributing factor to L.A.’s year-over-year increase in international visitation is the resonance of a message of welcome. In April 2017, L.A. Tourism launched an initiative called “Everyone is Welcome” which reinforced the city’s cultural diversity and inclusivity. A recent sentiment study[2] conducted in Australia, the U.K., China and Mexico confirmed the campaign’s effectiveness with positive favorability from each market including a resounding impact on visitation likelihood from China (82%) and Mexico (69%).

For a recap video of the 2017 visitation press conference, click here.
 

Designed for L.A. Tourism industry partners, learn tips and strategies for better preparation and communication in the event of a crisis.

Agenda:

• Setting the Stage: Key Learnings from the Route 91 Tragedy in Las Vegas
• Reviewing Your Response: Best Practices for an Effective Plan
• Los Angeles Tourism: Our Role in a Crisis
• Networking Session

Date: Monday, February 26, 2018
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Convention Center

Who Should Attend:

• Members of the tourism and hospitality community: attractions and entertainment, hotels, museums, venues, transportation, destination marketing organizations, retail
   
• Those in charge of maintaining or executing against crisis communications programs: social media leads, public relations professionals, general managers, directors of sales and marketing
   

Limited Seating Available, Free for L.A. Tourism Members; RSVP Today via the link in your E-mail Inbox or contact membercommunications@latourism.org

Whether it's the Year of the Dog, National Dog Day, or any time of year, Angelenos and visitors alike love their canine companions. Read on for dog-friendly L.A. restaurants, hotels and activities, along with some doggie inspired culture.

L.A. Tourism’s marketing strategies and campaigns for the Chinese visitor market have been recognized as industry-leading initiatives by China’s travel and tourism industry. L.A. Tourism and LAWA have been honored with numerous awards by both consumer and trade media as well as industry partners. Honors include:

•    Best International Airport of the Year by Travel Weekly China & Northstar Travel Group.
•    Best Partner Award by GTA.
•    2017 People’s Choice & Best Innovation Award at the 2017 Tripshow
Video Marketing Competition in Shanghai organized by Travel Daily and Dragon Trail.
•    Best High-end Destination Marketing Organization by National Tourism Magazine.
•    Top Tourist Destination Award by Tongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd.
•    Popular Travel Destination Award by Tuniu.com
•    2017 Innovative Destination Marketing Award by China Travel Agent Media
•    Kate Chang Was Awarded with 2017 Mulan Award in Travel Industry by China Travel Agent Media
•    Top 10 International Tourist Destinations Award by Tongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd.
 

The Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission will host its 14th annual Lakers All-Access at the brand new UCLA Health Training Facility on February 7, 2018. Get an exclusive, insider’s look at the Los Angeles Lakers and their new state-of-the-art practice facility. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just want to enjoy a great evening on the court, you won’t want to miss Lakers All-Access. Net proceeds from the event support the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), both nonprofit organizations.

Experience Lakers All-Access:
•    Tour the new Lakers Practice Facility for a behind-the-scenes look at where the team practices, where they train and watch film, where the trainers stretch and rehabilitate the players, and learn more about the players daily routine
•    Take your photo at the ESPNLA Broadcast Booth
•    Make your own Lakers shirt at the Spectrum SportsNet station
•    Meet, greet and have your photo taken with Lakers greats, current players, the Laker Girls and the World Championship trophies
•    Bid on exclusive Lakers experiences and memorabilia
•    Test your skills in our exclusive Lakers All-Access basketball clinic with the current Lakers coaches
•    Compete in the 2018 NBA All-Star Los Angeles Free Throw Competition
•    Enjoy a buffet dinner in the court
•    Hear from head coach Luke Walton, Lakers President Jeanie Buss and other front office executives on how they put this roster together and what they expect from each player
•    Enter prize drawings, giveaways, contests and more!

Lakers All-Access confirmed participants to date include:
•    Jeanie Buss, President, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Rob Pelinka, General Manager, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Jordan Clarkson, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Brandon Ingram, Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Bill Macdonald, Play-by-Play Announcer, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Brian Shaw, Associate Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers; former Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Luke Walton, Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers; former Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    James Worthy, Studio Analyst, Spectrum SportsNet; former Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Kyle Kuzma, Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Additional Lakers players, alumni and front office participants to be named. Participants are subject to change.

For more information, please visit: http://www.lasec.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Lakers-AA-Sponsorship-2018-CRE.pdf
 

Winter dineL.A. 2018 is underway now thru January 26, 2018. The 15-day dining event is commemorating the program’s landmark 10th anniversary, showcasing the diversity of culinary talent and dining excellence across Los Angeles, spanning the last decade. Visitors and locals can enjoy specially-priced lunch and dinner menus at more than 300 dineL.A. restaurants. The value-driven lunch menus range from $15, $20, and $25, with dinner menus priced at $29, $39, and $49, and beginning at $95 for the Exclusive Series. Back by popular demand, the Exclusive Series presented by American Express offers diners a chance to enjoy some of L.A.’s most luxurious restaurants across the city, including Providence, Spago Beverly Hills, The Royce, BOA Steakhouse, and The Arthur J. Diners may visit the dineL.A. website to book reservations starting today.

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board has moved! Please note our new address: 633 W 5th Street, 18th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Los Angeles World Airports welcomed a record 84.9 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 5% over the previous year. Of those travelers, close to 25 million — or around 2 million over last year — were international.

During the month of November, Los Angeles Convention Center reported an average occupancy of 88% in its exhibit halls, with approximately 96,000 attendees. Exhibit hall occupancy for this fiscal year to date is 76%, which is higher than the previous three year.

Estimates show visitors are expected to generate at least $300 million dollars in transient occupancy tax collections for the City of Los Angeles in 2017, a record.