LA Tourism's Latest Updates
A Note from Adam
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
I’d like to take a moment to recognize our team’s phenomenal work in bringing IPW 2024 to life. It was an incredible showcase of Los Angeles to more than 5,500 buyers, sellers and members of the media from around the world. As you’ve seen in previous Member Newsletters, this year’s IPW marked a watershed moment not only for LA’s tourism and hospitality industry but also for the global travel and tourism community. This year’s IPW was the highest-attended event since before the pandemic, and numbers of attendance from important source markets like China far exceeded 2019 levels, which remains an encouraging sign of visitation recovery from the market.
As we welcomed IPW 2024, we also announced our 2023 year-end tourism numbers, which you can read more about in this article published by the Los Angeles Times. Our team has also created a 2023 Community Benefits Fact Sheet. We believe in the power of your voice and your role in our community. This fact sheet is designed to empower each of you to help share this messaging within your communities, amplifying the impact of our collective achievements.
Tourism is absolutely indispensable to LA’s community. In 2023, tourism drove more than $40.4 billion in total business sales and contributed more than $290.3 million in Transient Occupancy Tax contributions to the City’s General Fund, which supports essential services for all Angelenos. From May 19-25, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating National Travel & Tourism Week, where we’ll be elevating why tourism is so vitally important to our community. I encourage you all to take advantage of U.S. Travel Association’s online toolkit to participate in the conversation across social media.
I’d also like to take a moment to recognize our Brand & Digital team for their work on a recent drive and short-haul marketing campaign tied to major events in and around Los Angeles, which is a derivative of our ‘Now Playing’ campaign. The campaign will run through June in markets including San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Phoenix and within Los Angeles. The campaign seeks to encourage hotel stays for major events happening across the region through advertising across out-of-home placements, social media platforms, ticketing websites, display/video, radio broadcasts and online search engines.
May marks Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and it is important to recognize that Los Angeles is home to some of the most prominent AAPI communities outside of their native countries. AAPI heritage and history run deep within the heart of our City of Angels. They are important reminders of how our beloved, unique and diverse City became the LA we know and love today. This month and every month, I encourage you to immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of AAPI culture here in Los Angeles and amplify some of the unique voices and stories that have shaped our City into the mosaic it is today.
With heartfelt thanks,
Upcoming Events for Members
Our Members are eager to meet you. Mark your calendar for the following events:
Member Mixer | June 12th
Join us at Sony Studio's new Scenic Arts Building event space. The Scenic Arts Building dates back to 1938 and was used as a workshop space to hand paint large backdrops used in films like The Wizard of Us and The Sound of Music. Invite to come!
Member Orientation - June 5th
New members will received an overview of the organization, brief training on the Member Portal, and quick tips on how best to partner with us. We welcome all team members to join for a meet & greet at the end.
Now Playing: New Drive Campaign
LA Tourism is launching a new campaign in our drive markets through the end of June promoting major events happening throughout LA County. Multiple tourism reports indicate a leading travel trend for 2024 is event-based marketing. Enthusiasts are traveling more frequently to various sports events and performances away from home. There are hundreds of games, concerts and festivals happening in LA throughout the year. Most of these events/venues are located in close proximity to major LA hotel regions. Leveraging the abundance of events, we’re looking to drive room demand; offering potential visitors a “why now” message as our unique selling proposition.
Look out for our advertising in major drive markets and within LA. The campaign will be bookended by LA Pride in June and Dine LA Restaurant Week in July. A new creative concept and suite of assets has been developed specifically for the campaign. LA Tourism is also testing out a pilot program with Ticketmaster & Live Nation for advertising and audience targeting as part of the initiative.
LA Tourism at Work
India
LATCB participated in Luxury Tribe Event held in Delhi for luxury buyers in India. The event was an opportunity to connect with India’s top tier city travel curators and luxury suppliers. The team also participated in the panel discussion to highlight the luxury offerings of LA as a destination.
Universal Studios Hollywood and LA Tourism's mini- mission in India shared key product updates with trade agents in Mumbai. The event highlighted new and upcoming developments in Los Angeles as well as a preview of IPW where Universal Studios Hollywood has a major role and will be hosting the closing night
China
The team in China also partnered with Universal Studios Hollywood to host the Angel's Salon travel trade workshop in Beijing & Shanghai. Over the 3-day period, our teams met with over 30 key travel trade representatives, airline partners, US Embassy/Consulate colleagues, and key Chinese social media platforms. The event was greatly appreciated by all involved and provided an opportunity for multilateral collaboration among all participants..
Europe (UK & France)
Los Angeles Tourism celebrated 25 years of partnership with the UK and Irish travel trade this month, marking the silver anniversary of the opening of the London office. Francine Sheridan, Regional Vice President, Europe and ME, joined launch the European Regional Office in London in 1999. As well as supporting the UK and Ireland travel trade, media and industry partners, the team’s remit has grown to cover Europe and the Middle East over the 25 years.” The anniversary celebrations include a travel trade “appreciation” advertising campaign, which thanks UK&I travel trade for their support over the years.
Los Angeles Tourism was represented at briefing events hosted by PST Art in both London and Paris. The lunch events were to promote PST Art: Art & Science Collide, which will return to LA in September 2024 and welcomed top-tier arts and culture media. The PST delegation included Katherine E. Fleming, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust; Jacqueline Stewart, Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; and Glenn Kaino, an artist and curator working with the Hammer Museum.
UK and French journalists discover Los Angeles on media FAMs. LA Tourism partnered with Irish airline Aer Lingus to bring top UK and Irish media to discover LA’s hidden gems throughout DTLA, Silver Lake and Culver City. We also hosted our first exclusively French press trip in several years in April, welcoming four top-tier journalists from Konbini, The Good Life, Cosmopolitan and Femme Actuelle.
Business Spotlight
Featured Press Coverage
Recent media coverage secured by our Global Communications team includes:
Los Angeles Business Journal (U.S.) – Hospitality is Back + LA is 'Now Playing'
New York Times (U.S.) - In Los Angeles, Even an Art Fair Is Really About the Parties
Houston CityBook (U.S.) - A Dreamy L.A. Escape Entails Opulence, Intrigue — and Even Some Walking
Re:Porter (Porter In-Flight) - Merchants of Venice
Travel Week (Canada) - Porter Airlines adds new seasonal routes from Montreal to Los Angeles & San Francisco
Help spread the news! Here are some recent press releases:
Discover LA, Your Way: Downtown Los Angeles & The Arts District
SOME GOOD NEWS
The Los Angeles Convention Center recently announced its latest achievement in sustainability: certification as a Certified Green Business under the esteemed California Green Business Network. Read the press release here.
Have good news to share? Send it our way at membercommunications@latourism.org.
