LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board (LA Tourism) President and CEO Ernest Wooden Jr. announced that Los Angeles welcomed a record 42.2 million visitors in 2013, a 2 percent increase over 2012’s 41.4 million, beating mid-year projections by 150,000 visitors and breaking visitation records for the third consecutive year.
L.A.’s hotel occupancy and hotel room nights sold both set all-time record highs in 2013. Hotel occupancy for the year reached 76.8 percent, surpassing the previous 2012 record of 75.4 percent. L.A. County’s hotels sold a record 27.2 million room nights in 2013, an increase of 2.1 percent percent over 2012.
“The continuing, record-breaking growth and strength of tourism in Los Angeles is a shining light for our economy, creating good-paying jobs for our families, benefiting local businesses, and generating significant revenue for the city that goes toward the important public services our city needs,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Angelenos should be proud that our great city is such a highly desired tourist destination for visitors from across the U.S. and around the world.”
Total domestic visitation to Los Angeles reached 36 million visitors in 2013, a 1.9 percent increase over 35.3 million in 2012. Domestic overnight visitation achieved its highest historical level with 22.3 million overnight visitors. This constitutes 490,000 new domestic overnight visitors and a growth of 2.2 percent.
Total international visitation set a record with 6.2 million visitors, a 2.6 percent increase over 2012. China was the biggest driver of overseas visitation with a year-over-year growth of more than 21 percent, and solidified its position as the city’s number one overseas market.
“The third consecutive record-breaking year for tourism underscores that Los Angeles has emerged as a leading global tourist destination,” said Ernest Wooden Jr., LA Tourism’s President & CEO. “We are on track to reach the goal of 50 million visitors by 2020. The fact that 2013 visitation exceeded projections for organic growth shows the impact that LA Tourism’s ongoing marketing efforts, the efforts of our tourism partners, and the coordinated improvements in public infrastructure and major improvements at LAX Airport have on our economy. This is a huge achievement for the Los Angeles tourism and hospitality industry.”
Photo credit: Los Angeles via Bigstock
