L.A. County sets another tourism record
For the seventh straight year, Los Angeles County has set a record for drawing big-spending tourists.
The county hosted 48.3 million visitors in 2017, a 2.2% increase over the record 47.3 million tourists in 2016, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who announced the fresh record during a news conference at Los Angeles International Airport.
The visitor increase was fueled by a 6.3% surge in travelers from South Korea, a 6% jump in tourists from China, and a 5.5% improvement in visitors from Canada, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board reported.
Garcetti and Ernest Wooden, chief executive of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, attributed the increase in visitors to a campaign launched last year called Everyone is Welcome.
The campaign was meant to be a response to President Trump’s antiimmigration rhetoric and his travel bans, which some industry leaders say is scaring off international visitors.
In contrast to L.A.’s visitor increase, overall international visitation to the U.S. dropped 4% in the first six months of 2017, according to the latest data from the National Travel and Tourism Office.
The U.S. Travel Assn., a trade group for the country’s travel industry, said it plans to respond to the drop by forming a coalition with other U.S. industries, called Visit US, to send a message that the country welcomes international visitors.