Los Angeles Projects Record 41.3 Million Visitors for 2012

The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board (LA Tourism), site of ASTA’s Travel Retailing and Destination Expo, Sept. 7-9, has projected record visitor numbers for 2012. The city’s mid-year forecast projects that 41.3 million people will visit by year-end, 2.4 percent above the current record of 40.3 million visitors set in 2011.

Among other indicators that tourism is on the rise in Los Angeles: Hotel occupancy rates for July averaged 83.9 percent, the highest monthly occupancy rate in the last 25 years of reported lodging metrics. Occupancy rates have exceeded 2011 rates every month this year.

Year-to-date occupancy through July is 76.1 percent, up 4.5 percent over the same period last year. In addition, passenger traffic at Los Angeles International Airport through July was up 3.3 percent over 2011, putting the airport on pace to exceed 2007 pre-recession passenger totals. Moreover, Los Angeles is hosting 24 citywide conventions in 2012, the most since 2001, representing the largest number of occupied hotel rooms since 2000.

On the marketing side, LA Tourism is about to roll out a fall arts and culture promotion, which runs Oct. 1 through Nov. 11. The promotion offers free admission to 30 of L.A.’s top museums for every two-night stay booked at any hotel and at any price point, according to Lomax. Hotel stays can be booked on LA Tourism’s website, www.discoverlosangeles.com, as well as on Travelocity and Expedia.

Next spring LA Tourism will launch a fully integrated campaign to attract visitors to the destination for spring and summer travel. While it’s too early for specifics, the campaign’s theme is “Endless Entertainment.” The idea is to showcase all of the options L.A. has to offer. LA tourism also is rolling out campaigns in Canada, Australia and the U.K. later this year and early next year and will launch revamped website in October.

http://www.travelpulse.com/los-angeles-projects-record-413-million-visitors-for-2012.html