Tourism to Los Angeles is rebounding with the city experiencing a significant increase in tourism in 2010 as it welcomed nearly 8% more overnight visitors than in 2009. A total of approximately 25.7 million people visited LA in 2010 and tourist spending rose as well with visitors accounting for $13.1 billion in expenditures - a 10.4% increase from the previous year.
For the first time in LA's history, Australia rose to first place for overseas visitors to LA. This can be largely attributed to new and expanded airline service from Australia to Los Angeles. In 2009, V Australia began service to LA from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and Delta added service from Sydney. Also, Qantas Airlines began using new equipment from LAX to Australia significantly increasing its airline seat capacity.
Los Angeles also benefitted from growth from Asia, specifically travelers from China, which saw an increase of nearly 80%. South Korean residents made their way to Los Angeles resulting in a 54% increase of visitors, while Japan also reported a strong rebound in 2010 with a 25% increase in visitors from that country.
International visitors made one of the largest impacts on LA's tourism with 5.5 million visitors to the city, a 20.7% increase over last year. International travelers also had a visible increase in spending-23.1% more in 2010-totaling nearly $4.6 billion in revenue.
"Tourism is the city's largest and most lucrative industry - generating billions each year and employing countless Angelenos," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "This year's impressive growth in tourism will directly affect our local businesses that rely on tourist spending to make their companies successful and profitable."
(Source: LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau
www.discoverLosAngeles.com )
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