News & Notes - February 2019

Following more than 12 months of planning, research and development, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board today unveiled its latest iteration of discoverlosangeles.com. Built Los Angeles Tourism’s digital team, the mobile-first design ensures faster response, enhanced search and better accessibility while featuring an editorial-led, visual storytelling focus that serves up the inspiration and research locals and travelers seek in official destination websites.

L.A. Tourism has tapped some of the most talented writers and photographers in the L.A. area to create a fun, robust library of content, ranging from guides on hidden neighborhood gems to favorite beaches by playlist and places to visit based on astrological signs. Throughout the coming months, newly created content will focus on the rise of the millennial parent, neighborhood experiences and quick-read guides, in direct response to traveler trends. Other highlights include:

• Interactive maps: Featured prominently on the homepage, the maps allow site visitors an in-depth look at L.A.’s distinct neighborhoods; while reviewing any of the guides, the maps auto-populate with guide locations, helping visitors understand L.A.’s geography through heatmapping technology.
• Personalization: Visitors are invited to bookmark content, “flag” places they have been and share places they are considering going. These actions are saved within an individual profile, allowing them to serve as a personal itinerary for future visits; bookmarked content can also be easily accessed while in-destination.
• Events calendar: Featuring the most robust events calendar for the city of Los Angeles, this page is truly the ‘go-to’ source for events.
• Multi-lingual: Available in French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese.

In case you missed the exclusive Member Educational Seminar featuring a Q&A with L.A. Tourism's Executive Team at Convene, you may listen to an audio recording of the event here: 

Los Angeles Tourism's February 20, 2019 Educational Seminar Recording

Please don't hesitate to reach out to the Membership team with any additional questions. 

2019 Official Visitors Guides & 2019 Visitors Maps have arrived! You can now order through the Member Portal in the Collateral Tab.

Please reach out to Membercommunications@latourism.org if you do not have access to the Member Portal.

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

• L.A. Mini Travel Product was awarded with “Best Popular Featured Travel Product” at the 2018 National Tourism Fashion Awards in Beijing organized by National Tourism Media
• Los Angeles was awarded with “Top 10 Most Popular Travel Destination” at the 2018 National Tourism Fashion Awards in Beijing organized by National Tourism Media
• L.A. Tourism was awarded with “Best Cultural Tourism Destination Marketing Organization” at the 2018 National Tourism Fashion Awards in Shanghai organized by National Tourism Media
• Los Angeles was awarded with “Tourists Favored Destination” at the First CATS Industry Appraisal organized by China Association of Travel Services
• Los Angeles was awarded with “2018 Best Travel Destination” at the 2018 Tongcheng Global Partner Conference in Suzhou organized by Tongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd
• L.A. Tourism was awarded with “Best Combination of Destination Products Award 2018” at the 2018 Annual Awards Ceremony in Beijing organized by China Travel Agent Magazine
• L.A. Tourism was awarded with “Top 10 Best In-depth Travel Destinations in 2018” at the 2018 Annual Awards Ceremony in Beijing organized by China Travel Agent Magazine
• Los Angeles was awarded with “City Marketing Award” at the 2018 World Tourism Cities Federation Qingdao Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit
• 'Power of Integrated Destination Marketing – An LA Case Study,' written by Kate Chang was collected as a “Best Practice in the Annual Green Book of Beijing Tourism Development Report 2018,” which was edited by Beijing Tourism Association and published by Social Sciences Academic Press (China)

Driven by new air service and continued growth in international destinations, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) set a new all-time record for passenger traffic in 2018 with 87.5 million travelers. The passenger total at LAX is an increase of 3.52 percent over 2017, shattering the previous record of 84.6 million travelers. International passenger traffic continues to slightly outpace overall traffic growth at LAX, with a record-setting 26 million international travelers last year.

Transient occupancy tax collections for the City of L.A.'s general fund totaled $20.3 million during December 2018, bringing the fiscal year-to-date cumulative total to $161 million, an increase of 6.3% more than the same time last year. 

TOT collections for a calendar year reached a new record in 2018 with a total of $308.7 million, an increase of 8.7% year-over-year ($283.9 million in 2017).

During calendar year 2018, city of Los Angeles hotels had an average occupancy rate of $80.6%, even after a 3.6% increase in room night supply. Average daily rate reached $168.02 while RevPar reached $120.