L.A. breaks tourism record with 27 million visitors in 2011
Thanks to a swell in international visitors, Los Angeles hosted a record number of visitors in 2011, prompting tourism officials to predict even more visitors this year.
Los Angeles County broke the previous record of 25.9 million visitors in 2007 by welcoming 27 million in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, known as L.A. Inc. The latest numbers are a 4.2% increase over 2010.
Mark Liberman, president of the bureau, attributed the increase to an improved U.S. economy and new attractions to draw visitors, such as the Cirque du Soleil show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and the new 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall that opened in June at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park.
“It’s a city that has something for everyone,” he said.
Spending by visitors grew to $15.2 billion, an 8% increase from 2010, Liberman said.
He noted that foreign visitors helped boost overall spending; L.A. had 5.9 million international visitors, a 7% increase over last year. International travelers spent 12% more in 2011, totaling nearly $5.5 billion in revenue.
For the second year in a row, Australia accounted for the most overseas visitors to Los Angeles, with 383,000 in 2011, a 6.2% increase from 2010. Canada sent 675,000 visitors in 2011, a 13% increase from the previous year, according to the visitors bureau.
Liberman pointed to several factors that he said could increase tourism numbers even more in 2012.
In April, Los Angeles will host the International Pow Wow, a trade show for the travel industry. He said he expects the trade show to generate a surge in international visitors for years to come.
“We think 2012 is set to be another record year,” Liberman said.
